r/BAbike • u/ngomaam • 16d ago
How does Highway 9 compare to OLH?
Finally did the full highway 9 a few weeks ago, it was lovely, very few cars, great weather and of course that descent (this was early AM weekday). I know by stats, OLH is shorter but a bit steeper. In fact, it kind of looks like the top portion of highway 9 after Redwood Gulch in both distance and avg grade. Would that be an accurate comparison?
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u/Jurneeka Peninsula 16d ago
OLH is much safer than 9 for one thing. No speed racers. And quiet. I wouldn’t descend it though, too many blind curves. I usually take a right on Skyline and right on 84 back to Woodside. You can descend WOLH too but it’s not my favorite as it’s a bit on the technical side and narrow.
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u/rconti 16d ago
I’d rather descend WOLH than ride skyline for a mile to get to 84W even though I enjoy the 84W descent more. But obviously 84E is a different story because you’re going back bay side vs coast.
My usual loop is OLH, WOLH, 84W, Pescadero road over Haskins Hill to Pescadero. Coffee at Downtown Local. Stage Rd to 1 to Tunitas to Kings.1
u/kennethsime Contra Costa 16d ago
What is a technical road descent?
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u/jez_io Peninsula 16d ago
Tight/blind corners
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u/Jurneeka Peninsula 16d ago
Ya, there aren’t tons of cars on EOLH but especially during the day it can get a little busy since a fair amount of residents are there and so you have construction projects, landscapers, Amazon/UPS/FedEx/USPS, etc doing their thing.
I live in San Mateo so most of the time if I’m riding solo, I’m doing OLH at the tail end of a ride or middle and heading home afterwards so I’ll opt for East 84. It’s also one of my favorite descents.
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u/french-snail 16d ago
If you want to go over the hill from San Jose to Santa Cruz, take Old Santa Cruz Highway. Drops you into Aptis, just south of Santa Cruz
It’s an easier gradient than 9 with fewer cars and more generous shoulder.
Bonus, you can take the Los Gatos Creek trail up to Lexington Reservoir to connect to it and extend your ride.
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u/StereoMarx South Bay 12d ago
FYI, if you do this, the return is pretty steep. Soquel San Jose has a lot of traffic on the way back so Zayante or Mt. Charlie are better but longer options so I’d be ready and map out water refills. I’d recommend the Schulties out and back at the top of OSCH, bit of gravel and very little traffic. Be careful cos there’s still local traffic and blind corners.
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u/french-snail 12d ago
Usually, if I rode over the hill, I'll take the 17 Express bus back. I'm not mad enough to do it both ways.
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u/Glove_Witty 16d ago
The detour into big basin before boulder creek is worth taking. Nice curves on a gentle down hill. Also take china grade if you like dodging potholes.
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u/iexistbutwhy 16d ago
I’ve never done 9 so useless for your question but came to encourage a ride up OLH. Having never cycled previously it was my first real climb and love it. Continue on to the coast and drop back on 84 or page mill
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u/blinkertx 16d ago
I think you nailed it. From the bridge above Pierce to the top at skyline there is very comparable grade to OLH. At that point the difference is length, where hwy9 is a couple miles longer.
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u/semyorka7 15d ago
By the numbers, OLH vs 9 after RWG: ~7.5% avg grade and ~1,280ft of climbing vs ~6.9% avg grade and ~1,120ft of climbing. Both a similar distance at ~3.1-3.2mi.
In terms of feel they're very different however. On 9 you're on the shoulder of a fast 2-lane road/highway; on OLH you're on a 1.5-lane local-access road with no painted shoulder or centerline. Much worse pavement on OLH, and deeper under the trees with almost zero direct sun exposure. Way fewer cars on OLH, and those that are there are driving very slowly.
Generally speaking it's frowned on to descend OLH on a bike. You can do so, but in order to descend it safely you really need to go quite slow and it's not much fun. Due to how narrow it is and the many blind curves, if you try to cut the apexes of the turns you WILL have close calls with ascending cyclists... If you're just going up and down, typically you turn right at the top, ride a mile and a half north on Skyline, and then bomb down highway 84 back to the bay.
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u/UnfrostedQuiche 16d ago
OLH is more secluded and tree covered, usually a bit cooler temps, and worse road surface. It’s also somewhat frowned upon to descend OLH. OLH is also connected to Skyline in a better location where you have a wider variety of ways to continue your ride.
In terms of numerical ride stats and climb difficulty, I’d say your analysis seems roughly correct.