San Diego County's Ten Everest-Friendly Steep Climbs

In recent years many cycling challenges have caught avid cyclists' imagination. From setting a goal to ride a metric century (100 km or miles), a proper century, completing one or many of the strenuous organized rides like the Belgian Waffle Ride or Unbound Gravel or even the Race Across America (RAAM), but perhaps none seem as doable as well as undoable at the same time as completing an everest. 

George Vargas and Lori Hoechlin (in pink REV kits) are San Diego County's everest king and queen.

Everesting, of course, refers to the practice of repeatedly climbing the same hill until one has reached the elevation gain equal to the height of Mt Everest (8,848 m or 29,029ft) on a single ride. It is a fantastic feat of endurance and stamina, and typically takes the upward of 8 hrs to complete.

For a stretch of a road to be everesting-friendly, for me, it should be steep enough to enable significant elevation gain per repeat, but not so steep that you can't repeat it enough times to complete the ride. It should also be relatively safe traffic-wise and not very technical on the descent (so you wouldn't end up killing yourself riding down in a zombic state), and, unless you have a SAG support car with toilet facility, has easy access to a restroom and drinking water/food. 

If you are looking for a suitable climb to everest on in San Diego County, here are ten good candidates to consider. 

Cabrillo Rd (Tidepool Hill)

1. Cabrillo Rd (Tidepool) in Cabrillo National Park (entry fee/park pass required to use): [1.6 miles/ 302ft: 97 repeats] 

Restrooms & water available at the visitor center, and also at the first tidepool parking at the bottom of the hill. This spot stays nice and cool even during the summer months, being right next to the ocean. Automobile traffic is very light and generally slow moving. It is, however, short, and requires almost a hundred repeats to get to the requisite 29029 ft of elevation gain for everesting. 

Oh, there is a handful of days each year when entry fee is waived at all national parks including Cabrillo. Find them at Cabrillo National Park website.

2. N Torrey Pines Rd (Outside) from Torrey Pines State Beach entrance to NU System Driveway traffic light: [3.2 miles/415 ft: 70 repeats]

Restrooms & water available at Torrey Pines State Beach parking lot (no fee for bikes to enter). 

Before northbound (downhill) cycling on Torrey Pines Park Service Road (Inside) was banned in 2014, I would have suggested Torrey Pines Inside instead as the steeper average gradient there wouldn't require so many repeats (and the climb would be quite less boring and hot, being more exposed to the ocean breeze). But since we can't ride down inside the park anymore, the outside road is the better option for your quads. Do be careful crossing the road at the bottom of the descent, as there is no traffic light and there are many distracted drivers there looking more for a parking spot than for bicycle traffic!

N Torrey Pines Rd at Torrey Pines State Beach.

3. Fanuel/Cardeno Dr from Tourmaline St to Via Cabrera in Pacific Beach: [3.6 miles/521 ft: 56 repeats] 

Restrooms & water available at Fanuel Park on the south end of Fanuel (at Mission Bay Boardwalk). You could do the whole length of Fanuel/Cardeno Dr and start at Fanuel Park, of course, but that adds many more traffic lights (and not much more climbing). The Mormon church parking lot at Tourmaline would make a good turn around point. I would also turn around at Via Cabrera instead of going all the way to the top at La Jolla Scenic Dr intersection for ease of turning (traffic is generally light on Cardeno Dr but more robust on La Jolla Scenic Dr).

Cardeno Dr

Nautilus St climb.

4. Nautilus St from Fay Ave to La Jolla Scenic Dr in La Jolla: [3.1 miles/ 465ft: 63 repeats]

Restrooms & water available at Coggan Family Aquatic Complex on the NW corner of Fay Ave at Nautilus. On the descent I would take the right at W Muirlands Dr to Fay Ave instead of staying on Nautilus for an easier turn-around back up the hill. 

5. Alto Dr from Lemon Ave to Mt Helix Nature Theater in La Mesa: [3.6 miles/ 715 ft: 41 repeats] 

Port-a-toilet and water available at Mt Helix Nature Theater. Park at the Nature Theater on top and descend down. There is a temptation to take a left turn right after the bridge over Mt Helix Dr's uphill lane and go against traffic for a short stretch to get to Alto Dr on the descent, but I would really caution against it. That sort of riding there gets more hazardous as you tire, and any accident there would really set back bikes - local residents relation. Please descend carefully on Alto Dr as it is very narrow and has many blind driveways, and the local folks like to come out and walk their hill. Expect people behind blind turns and stuff and don't rip down Alto Dr (don't be that person to convince the locals to get speed bumps installed on that lovely lane). 

Alto Dr climb and descent on Mt Helix.

Alto Dr on Mt Helix

6. Mission Gorge Rd - Golfcrest in San Carlos: [3.6 miles/433 ft: 67 repeat + continue to Ruane St]

Restrooms & water available at Cowles Mountain Trailhead at the top of the climb. 

I would do this in a clockwise loop rather than out-and-back, to descend down Jackson Dr and just keep on turning right without having to cross any road. Traffic is generally pretty light, though it does get quite hot in this neighborhood during the summer months.

Mission Gorge Rd climbing to Golfcrest Dr.

7. Honey Springs Rd from Hollenbeck Canyon Trailhead to Barber Mountain Rd in Jamul: [6.8 miles/ 1856ft: 16 repeats]  

There is a port-a-toilet at Hollenbeck Canyon Trailhead staging area at the bottom of the climb, and a potable water spigot on the uphill side of the building (close to the stone bench) of Deerhorn Valley CDF fire station just past Jacob's red barn after Deerhorn Valley Rd turn off. 

Honey Springs Rd

Deerhorn Valley CDF Fire Station water tap.

Honey Springs Rd is not recommended during the summer and early fall months due to excessive heat and when there is a wildfire closer than 10 miles from it (it being the lone paved escape route for Deerhorn Valley, Bratton Valley, and Mother Grundy communities). 

8. S Twin Oaks Valley Rd from Village Dr to Ledge St traffic light just past the fire station in San Marcos: [3.6 miles/ 683ft: 43 repeats]

Restrooms & water available at Lakeview Trailhead Staging Area at Double Peak School traffic light.

I would make the bottom of this something of a loop, so that you would start from the roundabout where Village Dr meets Santa Barbara Dr and head east, turning right with the hill onto Sunstone, and then right up the hill on S Twin Oaks Valley Rd and climb to Ledge St, using the traffic light there to turn back down the hill on S Twin Oaks Valley Rd, turning right on S Village near the bottom of the descent and follow the road around the block to cross S Twin Oaks Valley Rd again. There you could either the left-turn back up the hill (or you could even go straight on Village across the intersection and then turn left at the Santa Barbara Dr roundabout and recommence the loop. 

Lakeview Trailhead Staging Area restrooms & water.

9. San Elijo Rd from S Melrose Dr to Ledge St traffic light (fire station) in San Marcos: [3 miles/ 884 ft: 33 repeats]

Restrooms & water available at San Elijo Park (just down the hill from Schoolhouse Way). Like S Twin Oaks Valley Rd, this is a busy thoroughfare although with a consistent bike lane. When school is in expect heavy traffic at school rush hours... along with the usual rush hours. Both S Twin Oaks Valley Rd and San Elijo Rd are better for riding on weekends.

San Elijo Rd climbing through San Elijo Hills.

10. Palomar South Grade Rd (S6) from Oak Knolls Campground driveway to the intersection with Palomar East Grade Rd (S7) on Palomar Mountain: [13.1 miles/2493 ft: 12 repeats or 11 repeats and continue to around mile marker 46.6]. 

Restrooms and water available at Oak Knolls Campground and at Mother's Kitchen Restaurant at the top of the climb. 

Palomar South Grade (S6) Rd.

Palomar South Grade Rd is not recommended on weekends and holidays due to sport-motorcycles and boaters traffic. It is also not recommended during the summer and early fall months due to excessive heat (and persistent and super pesky horse flies between 2000 and 5000 ft elevation markers). 

There are 3 cattle grates on Palomar South Grade Rd.

This is the longest and most consistent climbing road on the list. From the first curve after Oak Knolls Campground all the way to the top the road constantly climbs at 6-9% grade in a series of wiggly curves. That makes it a favorite for local riders aiming to achieve an everest within San Diego County. 

Of course, you could extend this to include Hwy 76 from Jilberto's Taco Shop where Hwy 76 meets Valley Center Rd and only have to do 7 repeats to attain the everest, but Hwy 76 is not all that safe to ride that many times on (especially when fatigued) in a day. You'd be running east-west on it's iffy shoulder (rumble-stripped when there is one) with both sunrise and sunset (blind drivers hours)... That is just not healthy.

San Diego Steepies Series:

Hardest Climbs in San Diego's North County 

San Diego's Rite of Passage Climbs 

San Diego's Steepest Sub-Miler Short Climbs

North County's Rite of Passage Climbs 

North County's Steep Climbs 

North County's Steepest Paved Climbs