The Steepest Road in California (Eldred Street & Stairs)

The Climb

Stand at the bottom where Eldred Street meets Avenue 50 and look up. The pavement rises at an angle that seems more appropriate for a hiking trail than a city street. This is 33% grade—for every 100 feet you travel forward, you gain 33 feet in elevation. Your car’s hood will block most of the view ahead as you creep upward in first gear.

The street runs 400 feet before ending at a set of wooden stairs. During that climb, you’ll pass modest homes perched on the hillside, many built in the early 20th century when this neighborhood was first developed. Residents who chose to live here accepted the daily challenge. Parked cars face uphill with wheels turned toward the curb. Visitors who panic at the top often find helpful neighbors willing to guide them back down.

Stories about Eldred Street circulate among local drivers. Cars that break down on the slope. Delivery trucks that can’t turn around. GPS systems that route unsuspecting drivers up this road and leave them stranded at the dead end. The city sends specialized small garbage trucks every Tuesday because standard trucks would tip over on the grade. The postal service maintains a group mailbox at street level rather than risk their carriers on the slope.

The Stairs

At the end of the paved section, 196 wooden steps continue upward. These stairs are the oldest original wooden staircase in Los Angeles, built around the same time as the street itself. A sturdy handrail runs alongside, worn smooth by decades of hands gripping tight on the way up and down.

The stairs connect Eldred Street to Cross Avenue above. Each step brings slightly better views—first the rooftops of Highland Park, then the Eagle Rock hills, then the San Gabriel Mountains stretching toward Mount Baldy and Big Bear on clear days. Palm trees dot the landscape below. The downtown LA skyline appears to the south.

Some steps creak. Some are slightly loose. The wood shows its age but holds firm. Fitness enthusiasts use these stairs for interval training. Photographers come for the vantage point. Curious visitors make the climb once to say they did it.

What to Know

This isn’t a groomed tourist attraction. It’s a functioning residential street with a staircase at the end. The pavement is cracked and faded. The stairs show their century of use. But both the street and the steps remain accessible to anyone willing to make the effort.

Park along Eldred Street near Avenue 50 where the grade is still manageable. Walk or drive up to experience what 33% actually feels like. Your legs and lungs will remind you that this grade is real. The whole visit takes about 30 minutes if you climb both the street and the stairs, less if you just want to see the slope from below.

The street’s steepness is protected by accident rather than design. Because it was built in 1912, it predates the city ordinance that now limits all new streets to a 15% maximum grade. That means Eldred Street will always hold its title as California’s steepest. No future street will match it because regulations won’t allow it.

Neighboring Contender

If steep streets are your thing, you can also pay a visit to the not-quite-as-steep Baxter Street (only a 32% grade compared to Eldred’s 33.3%).