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San Diego County - Top Bike Climbs

Palomar Mountain

USA, CA

Montezuma Borrego Highway

USA, CA

Palomar Mountain East

USA, CA

Kitchen Creek Road

USA, CA

Pine Creek Road

USA, CA

Sunrise Highway

USA, CA

Honey Springs Road

USA, CA

#10

Banner Grade

USA, CA

#13

Cole Grade Road

USA, CA

#14

Mt. Soledad - Via Capri

USA, CA

ALL CLIMBS

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We have spent more time cycling in San Diego than anywhere outside of our home venue of Northern California. San Diego is a great year-round cycling climbing area with wonderful weather and some darn challenging climbs. San Diego's Top 10 road bike climbs in order of difficulty are 1. Palomar Mountain, 2. Montezuma Borrego Highway, 3. Mt. San Miguel, 4. Cuyamaca Peak, 5. Palomar Mountain East, 6. Kitchen Creek Road, 7. Pine Creek Road, 8. Sunrise Highway, 9. Honey Springs Road, and 10. Banner Grade

The best, hardest, most scenic, and epic road bike climbs in San Diego County can be viewed on this page via the map (zoom in to view climbs in particular areas), by Climb Cards (photo and stats) or by a detailed list of the climbs that can be arranged in metric or imperial units by difficulty, distance (longest climbs in the area), altitude gained, highest elevation (highest summit), average grade (sort the grades by varying distances), lowest start point, etc. Click on "Climb Page" to jump to the detail page for that particular bike climb. This page provides an excellent and comprehensive summary of the top, hardest and best bicycling climbs in San Diego.

Climb List: San Diego County
(sort by distance, difficulty, elevation and more)

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Statistics: View Tutorial

Total Climbs: 22

Top 100 USA: 22

Avg. PDI (Top 5): 18.7

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Showing All 22 Climbs

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USA Rank

PDI

1 - 25

26 - 50

51 - 75

76 - 100

over 100

Gravel

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Climb

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Climb Info

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PJAMM TRIPS ADVENTURE STARTER BUNDLES

Check out PJAMM Adventure's prepackaged (self-guided) cycling trips. They will help you plan, document and conquer your next adventure.

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Palomar Mountain

United States (CA)

4 ROUTES

20 POIs

ROUTE STATS (TOTAL)

42.7

DISTANCE

12,975

ELEV. GAIN

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Mt. Soledad, San Diego

San Diego is one of the great biking areas in the United States. The residents of this county tend to be very health conscious and many love cycling. Luckily, they have exceptional weather which permits bike riding year round.

Cycling in beautiful San Diego County.

Photos clockwise from top left:

Nate Harrison Grade; Montezuma Borrengo Hwy; Palomar Mountain; Mt. Soledad and Nate Harrison Grade (center).

I have cycled dozens of times in San Diego -- for the four years my daughter played soccer for UCSD, I would travel down for every home game. For the first year, I always brought my bike with me, and for the last three years that she lived off campus, I kept a bike at her apartment.

Our favorite climbs in San Diego County are:

ALL TIME FAVORITE - NATE HARRISON GRADE

MORE ADVENTURE THAN BIKE CLIMB

Drone photo of Nate Harrison Grade and orange groves

Placing Nate Harrison Grade above Palomar Mountain as our favorite San Diego County bike climb was not an easy decision. Palomar is by far the most popular bike climb in the county (Palomar has been ridden by 7,012 Strava members vs. Nate Harrison’s 771). However, Nate Harrison Grade is such a unique and epic climb that we like to think of it as more adventure than bicycle climb. The majority of the climb is on dirt and gravel but it is manageable on a road bike (recommend at least 28mm tires; descending on road bike not recommended -- take the loop route suggested on our Climb Page).

There are about 19 switchbacks for seven miles at 9.4% from miles 1-8.

Amazing backdrops on this ride -- no obstructions of the hairpins or valley below as we ascend.

In our two climbs up the mountain we have never encountered a cyclist or motor vehicle.

It’s all about the hairpins on this climb.

#2 - PALOMAR MOUNTAIN, SOUTH GRADE

THE ALPE D’HUEZ OF THE US

It’s all about the switchbacks on Palomar.

We’ve climbed Palomar Mountain six times, and always encounter multiple cyclists on our rides here, especially on the weekends.

Menu board at Mother's kitchen at finish of Palomar cycle climb.

Mandatory rest stop.

#3 - MT. SOLEDAD, VIA CAPRI

360° VIEWS OF SAN DIEGO

Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial

Honors veterans from the Revolutionary War to present.

~2,400 plaques.

The 360 degree views from the top of Mt. Soledad are the most spectacular in the San Diego area. San Diego, the Pacific Ocean, La Jolla, UCSD, Miramar, and more can all be seen from this lookout point. There are several routes to the Veterans Memorial at the top of Mt. Soledad, but the short and incredibly steep route from La Jolla and Hidden Valley/Via Capri Roads is by far the most challenging.