DXchulo

I'm biased, but if I had a week in the west I'd do a combination of the Death Ride and the Everest Challenge. Start in Reno, do Geiger Grade and Mt. Rose. Go to Truckee the next day and do Donner Pass and Martis Peak (not great pavement but the view at the top is great).

Go to Markleeville and do the Death Ride. Ebbetts is my favorite of those climbs. Then head south and do the Everest Challenge route. Go in September and all the roads will be open but the temperature is usually not too hot or too cold.

Diablo is nice and all (it's the first major climb I ever did), but overrated. I like Mt. Hamilton better.

Doge

Palomar. Nice and steady.

02Giant 

Most definitely short and steep. I've never rode it, drove up a couple times, will have to think about it though.

02Giant 

Great job!
What gearing did you use?
My brother and I have started the discussion of making the climb next summer. This summer I rode up Trail Ridge Road in 36 x 28, thinking I will need a triple for PP.

Clipped_in

You are right, there are so many great climbs around here. I noticed on one of the posted lists that Alpine Summit was listed as #5 in the most scenic category. One of my favorites, and I can start from my house.


Nebo Loop is another great one.


Just a sampling. Too many to list!

For difficulty, Empire / Guardsman pass is a real knee buster.

BigJeff

Tour of California

Tour of Colorado

BoSoxYacht

My. Charleston NV is a good climb. 17.5 miles, and 5375ft.

calamarichris

Thanks. Don't have a compact, so I put a mtb cassette on my touring bike. Made it just fine with a 39-34, despite being out of shape. It snowed on me briefly twice (in late July) on the way up, but I'm pretty sure I finally broke 60mph on the way back down. (Was so pumped, I forgot to turn the Garmin back on. )
Was glad I had steel frame and 32-2x aluminum wheels under me for that descent--wouldn't want to descend Pikes on carbon TT wheels.




I hiked up Barr Trail the day before, while waiting for my bike to arrive.

floridamtb

I've been in South Florida for ten years so a good climb is a 75 foot drawbridge, I don't think that is what you're looking for. However this summer I went to Virginia for my daughter's graduation and rode the old Tour DuPont Mountain Time Trial course in Roanoke, VA. The first climb up 12 O'Clock Knob is a nice 1500 foot climb between 11%-16% I believe, nice descent and then you climb Mt Chestnut (about 1000 feet) and watch out on the first S curve on the descent, the first guy through there in the TT went off the road and was in the hospital for a month. It's not a huge climb, but it's a really nice 35 mile or so TT course.

RJM

These are a lot of great suggestions....thanks to everybody.

Looks like I have quite a few vacations to take. I live in Western Kentucky so not really mountainous country but we can get some good rolling country routes. I'm thinking of taking a vacation to someplace...probaby NC in May or June specifically to ride some climbing and ride new to me routes. I think that Mt. Mitchell route that merlinextraligh posted about might be the destination.

RPK79

It's nothing massive, but I really enjoyed the climb over Needles Highway in South Dakota. Quite a few other climbs available in the area as well, but I wasn't able to attempt them when I was there.



Bike Ride Profile | Needles Highway Ride near Hill City | Times and Records | Strava

rm -rf

In the Asheville NC area (Bring a light for the tunnels!)

The climb from Asheville to Mt Mitchell is good, if the weather is decent. It'll be cold up there in May!

But my favorite ride near there is this: Blue Ridge Parkway, Pinnacle Ridge to Pisgah Inn. You can get lunch at the restaurant there, with a great view out across the valley. It's a good mix of climbing and descending, with views off both sides of the ridgeline. It's just about the same elevation gain as the climb to Mt Mitchell. I took some photos of a shorter version of this ride--here.

August 15 is the Blue Ridge Breakaway ride. There's a 100 mile route, or a condensed 76 mile route that bypasses some of the smaller climbs near the beginning of the ride. Both rides do the long climb up Route 215 to get to the Parkway, and then go downhill then back up to Waterrock Knob. Then the last 15 miles are mostly downhill.

The Route 215 main climb is about 9 miles, but the total from the flats up to 6050 foot Richland Balsam on the Blue Ridge Parkway is 19 miles, 3100 feet. Strava climb

DXchulo

If you can't travel too far you might also consider western AR. I did Mt. Nebo and Mt. Magazine earlier this year. Nebo is short but steep. Magazine is longer- 7 miles at 5%. Also check out the "World's Highest Hill" in Poteau, OK and the Talimena Byway. There's some good riding out there that I don't hear much about. I'd like to go back sometime.

BENZ28

Its a little further west, but Mt. Lemmon, in Tucson is cool. Heading out there in a couple weeks, looking forward to getting some nice climbing in, living in south Texas the only elevation we ride is overpasses and bridges.

seypat

Here you go. This is the best organized, best supported fitness event I have ever been to. Easy to get to from the Mid Atlantic states. If the weather is good it does not get any better. There are a couple of threads on it here on the bike forums. A volunteer gave me this info last year. He said that from the mile 62ish rest stop on, there are 5 graded climbs with average grades of 12% and more. You have the Blue Ridge climb the first 50, then lots of short, steep V shaped climbs/descents that burn your legs in the 1st 100-200 yards.

100 Miler (Century) | Storming of Thunder Ridge Storming of Thunder Ridge - www.stormingofthunderridge.org

We had a group from the C & V forum there last year. We will have a bigger group this year. For those interested, you need to get your hotel room by January because Lynchburg College has their commencement that weekend also.

I spent my honeymoon in Cloudcroft, NM. Surely, the climb up to that town has to be an epic climb because it certainly is in a car. When I think about it, New Mexico is full of epic climbs. I don't know if there are many cyclists there though.

basqueonacaad

Powder Mtn Road (Northern Utah), Empire Pass (Park City, UT)

kbarch

The one I want to tackle is Whiteface, near Lake Placid - among top climbs on the east coast, it's the biggest you can ride back down. Bicycling magazine showed it to be very similar to Alpe d'Huez. 6 Great American Climbs | Bicycling

happyscientist

It isn't a single climb, but if you can make it up to western MD, the Garrett County Gran Fondo is a lot of fun, in that painfull, only a cyclist would think this is fun, kind of way.

Square Wheels

I hear Mt. Washington is fun.

Also, no one mentioned Haleakalā. It's a beautiful ride, and I suspect not too bad on a bike. I've seen lot's of people say it's a 30+ mile ride, but that includes the highway leading up to the mountain. The mountain itself is 10 or so miles.

I haven't done either of these (yet).

banerjek

It depends on what you think makes a great ride. Of the climbs mentioned in this thread that I've actually done (all on the West coast), I wouldn't call any of them bucket list worthy even if I think some of them are pretty nice.

In Oregon, the only route I've tried that even comes close is Crater Lake. Nice climbing (though neither steep nor particularly long), outstanding scenery, and sections straight enough to hit 50mph can be found (Cloudcap and north rim descents). It's a great area to stay in too. There are other decent climbs, but none so special that they're worth a special trip. If you're into something more challenging, I'd go to the Sierras instead.

caloso

Post 9.

I've done it twice. It's a beautiful road and an epic ride. It's not particularly steep either, just 6%. But there's break at all, just 10,000 feet of climbing at 6%.

RPK79

Minnesota doesn't have climbs. We just have short spiteful angry hills.

bbattle

Mike Olheiser told me the climbing around here was good enough for him to train on.

Lazyass

When I lived in El Paso I would drive up to Cloudcroft, NM and spend the weekend riding. They have cabins up there you can rent. Stunning scenery and cat 5-1 climbs. Kind of a hidden gem. Here's a couple of routes showing the climb ratings.

Cloudcroft-Sunspot-Timburon-Cloudcroft in Cloudcroft, NM, United States | MapMyRide

CLOUDCROFT, RUIDOSO, CLOUDCROFT, SUNSPOT, CLOUDCROFT AT 9,000 FT ALTITUDE in El Paso, TX, United States | MapMyRide

TGT1

I finished getting to the top of all 15 California 14'ers this year. (no not on a bike)

Looks like I'll have to go back and do White Mt on a bike this summer and Thunder Mt, (Baldy Notch) from the house this spring. .