List of steepest roads and streets

This article lists the sections or streets and roads with the steepest gradiants in the world.

Individual streets edit

  • Ffordd Pen Llech in Harlech, Wales was previously thought to have the steepest city street in the world and was given the Guinness World Record with a gradient at 37.45%, however after an appeal made by Baldwin street residents, both streets were reassessed and despite Ffordd Pen Llech having a greater gradient, the world's steepest Street was reinstated to Baldwin street, Dunedin.
  • Baldwin Street in Dunedin, New Zealand, may be the steepest residential street in the world; it reportedly averages 1:3.41 (16.33° or 29.3%) for 161 meters but its maximum is claimed to be 35% for an unknown distance.[1]
  • Canton Avenue in Pittsburgh is said to have a 37% grade; the length of that grade is unknown.
  • Three streets in Los Angeles are steeper—28th Street in San Pedro at 33.3%, Eldred Street in Highland Park at 33%, and Baxter Street in Silver Lake at 32%.[2]
  • Waipio Valley Road on the island of Hawai'i is said to be the steepest rural road in the United States, with some grades approaching 45%. It has been closed to non-local traffic.[3]

Locations edit

  • San Francisco, California is known for having numerous steep streets:
    • The Filbert Steps section of Filbert Street has a maximum gradient of 31.5% (17.5°).[4] The steepest hill on Filbert is the one-way down east half of the block between Hyde and Leavenworth. The city map shows a descent of 65 feet, which based on a half-block being 206.25 horizontal feet makes the grade 31.5%, the official figure.
    • 22nd Street shares the same 31.5% (17.5°) maximum gradient, between Vicksburg and Church Street.,[4] also one-way down.
    • The sidewalk-only section of Broderick Street (between Broadway and Vallejo), where the city map shows a climb of 96 feet in the 275-foot block) is steeper than Filbert in San Francisco, just under 35% grade
    • The sidewalk-only block of Baker Street, just one block west of Broderick, also between Broadway and Vallejo is a bit steeper than Broderick.
    • An unofficial survey of San Francisco streets declared the steepest street in San Francisco to be a 30-foot section of Bradford Street,[5] paved in 2010, with a 40% grade.[6]
    • The curvy Lombard Street started as a 27% grade.[7]
  • The cities of Houghton and Hancock in Michigan, US, have been noted for their steep streets.[8]


References edit

  1. ^ Charles Rawlings New Zealand's South Island Lonely Planet, 2009
  2. ^ Pool. B.(August 21, 2003)."Getting the Slant on L.A.'s Steepest Street", Los Angeles Times.
  3. ^ "Waipio Valley Road in HI is the steepest road in the USA".
  4. ^ a b Lombard Street Archived 2020-02-17 at the Wayback Machine, aviewoncities.com.
  5. ^ 37°44′14″N 122°24′35″W / 37.7373°N 122.4097°W / 37.7373; -122.4097
  6. ^ "More Steep Streets of San Francisco".
  7. ^ Saperstein, Susan. "Lombard Street". San Francisco City Guides. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  8. ^ "What's The Scariest Place You've Ever Had To Drive?". Jalopnik. 2021-02-15. Retrieved 2023-07-17.