Where's the Steepest Street in California???

[@thatdeadpage]

And legend has it that to this day, Bethany still is walking slowly down the hill and Drew is happily at home waiting for her

[@OddityOdysseys]

🤣🤣🤣

[@r.lewisblake7793]

25+ year Silverlake resident. I love bringing visitors to Los Angeles to Baxter Street. When you’re coming over the top of the hill, they are scared shitless!(me too,) but comedy gold!🤪🤪🤦🏾‍♂️

[@MyGospelExperience]

I put a speedometer on my bicycle and rode down Baldwin Street in New Zealand, the steepest street in the world. At the bottom, I was going 100 km/h or about 63 mph. I was scared to death.

[@OddityOdysseys]

Wow, that sounds like a terrifying yet amazing experience!

[@morethanent541]

65mph thats the speed i do on the highway to and from work in my Cadillac...

[@rsowder]

Bradford street in San Francisco has a 41% grade. And Romolo place in SF has a 37.5% grade.

[@DogfatherTim]

Bethany is a bad ass. I've had a lifelong fear of heights, but never let it stop me from doing things even if I was terrified. Bethany does the same. She does it, setting aside the fear. That deserves serious respect. Or a box of tangerine bars. Great episode. I can't imagine doing that walk to get my mail daily. Crazy.

[@OddityOdysseys]

Tangerine bars!!! See you Sunday, Tim! ❤️

[@Golfnut_2099]

I bet they pick up the mail on their way home and then drive up the hill. I also have a fear of heights, but walking up a hill has never bothered me.

[@edog1955]

My friend and I used to bicycle up 3rd St. in Laguna Beach, CA for the challenge. (But it’s *only* a 30% grade!)

[@SantosChronicles]

No way our Prius would make it up this hill. Those truck drivers have some serious driving skills. You guys didn’t mess around and working hard for a video. Thanks for the history different steep grades. Love these videos, no one else is showing the places you go to. Our type of stops.

[@williamlloyd3769]

There are several other steep streets in Echo Park area. Pretty intimidating to drive on.

[@lisalisa842]

I grew up in echo park, walked around silver lake hills all the time. I stayed away from streets that had stairs for sidewalks. When I was in elementary school if you were able to go down those type of streets on your bike you were bad ass.

[@harrymarnell8669]

Holy gee-whiz! I wonder how long residents moving there manage to STAY there! Great program as always!! Thanks for making my day!!

[@kimcozean9066]

Thanks for sharing. I could not imagine starting up in a manual transmission car. There are some streets in downtown Seattle that I have driven and an automatic transmission car rolls backwards on when starting up. Oh and Seattle does get occasional snow as a previous comment from Canada mentioned.

[@ElloAsty]

You two find the most offbeat but fun and interesting subjects to do videos on. Love it.

[@Nonakame]

My grandma used to tell us stories of having to back her Model T up the section of the One Highway in Torrey Pines because reverse was a lower gear than first or even “granny”! Love the video, thanks for sharing the location!

[@nlpnt]

Ts also used a gravity feed from the gas tank which was under the front seat. They'd starve themselves of fuel climbing forward, going in reverse meant the gas was flowing downhill.

[@MidwestTechAndGaming]

Sorry but Bethany getting further away and you're still laughing is GOLD RN!🤣

[@Rob_on_Sisukas]

Awesome video! I was just watching your episode on the Campo Santo cemetary in SD, and was reminded of the original Evergreen Cemetary in Chinatown, Los Angeles. Cathedral HS is built on its location, and the high school still exhibits some of the original gravestones on the outside and inside. The bodies were supposed to have been moved but apparently to this day, students and staff still find coffin nails and other detritus from the orginal cemetary. Hopefully you guys can check that out soon too! Keep up the great work you two!!

[@symphonia117]

I've been to the one in Hawaii. Idk about 45 but it's a lot steeper than the street featured in the video.

[@gabrielesparza4]

I hated delivering up this street while working for amazon. 😂😂

[@timothyharrison8953]

33% is a pretty steep grade. The steepest street I've ever driven on in California is Lombard Street in San Francisco. You know, the famous zig-zag brick one. I did that in a full size 1986 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham in 1994. No one tells you you have to drive up a steep hill to get to the zig-zag part though. Also, when I was in the Air Force one of the stopover/staging points for the air refueling tanker I worked/flew on was in the Azore Islands. They are a group of volcanic islands off of Portugal that it makes you feel like you are always traveling uphill.

[@ikmarchini]

Lombard is fun because it's curvy, but it's not even top 10 SF streets. Bradford above Tomkins is a hair raising 41% grade!

[@edwardg6206]

I’ve done Baxter St with my Prius.

[@jkbtulsa]

I love watching you both together. And what an interesting place.

[@DRFelGood]

Awesome skate boarding challenge ❤❤ “OO” Thxs for hiking and sharing ✌️:) Jesse

[@scotts5308]

Where I grew up out there in the La Puente / Whittier area has some old steep streets. Used to do a paper route on a bike that included Lomitas ave (street I grew up on).

[@arrjay2410]

I grew up in a small Ontario town (12,000 at the time) where the streets had been logically laid out on a grid, with no regard for terrain. My father's house was on a hill, probably not as steep as that, but pretty steep. However, in Canada we have this thing call "Winter". To add insult to injury the town was in one of the snowbelt areas so averaged 2 meters (about 6 feet) of snow by the end of January. I can remember taking out a car on numerous occasions out of the driveway, and going to the bottom of the hill; whether I wanted to or not; in a 2 ton toboggan. There were also occasions in the winter when people tried to go up the hill. Not all of them made it. Yes we kids did toboggan down it, though the town kept putting sand down on it (watching a sand truck go down it was a moment of entertainment when you were shoveling the drive.)

[@JHRIRS2010]

Yes, agree. Anything over a 25% grade in Toronto you will end up slinging down the hill backwards. This video is tamed compare to that.

[@mdee100]

Great Job! The quality of y'all's work is fantastic! I was born an adventurer and Odd, in fact my early picture spelling books in grade school was when I first learned and loved the word odd; there was a picture of a cartoon dog wearing a silly hat. I've been a fan of Huell Howser California's Gold and Weird Homes 1998 T.V. Series now I am a fan of Bethany and Drew on Oddity Odysseys.

[@OddityOdysseys]

We love everything about this comment! Huell Howser was excellent and he's been a big inspiration for the channel. We're so glad to have you on board and hope you enjoy all the ODD content we have coming up. :)

[@fredychavez9968]

I've lived in that area for years and I had no idea it was the steepest hill in California. There's some pretty good ones in the silver lake area and actually about a years ago some guy flew a Tesla from one slop to the other. It was quite a show. You can probably still find it on KZbin.

[@jdofmemi]

I know of one steeper in the hills near Temecula. Check out Camino Gatillo. It has places that reach 36%😱. Tough driving it in a truck.

[@MikeHunt90731]

28th Street in San Pedro is actually the steepest street but it's only 50 feet

[@keith2059]

Greetings Bethany and Drew thank you for always taking us to your trips! Bethany you did a great walk going slow to get to the bottom of the hill! Bethany, Drew, everyone take care and have a wonderful day!

[@OddityOdysseys]

Thank you, Keith! Hope you and yours have a great weekend. :)

[@keith2059]

@@OddityOdysseys Greetings Bethany and Drew. I know it's only been 8 months, but had to watch your video. Just learning with fun on OddityOdysseys. Hope you two are doing well, take care, and stay health! See you on another video.

[@JonnyDoeSFschannel-nw2hu]

That is a very steep street but unfortunately not the steepest in CA. San Francisco has 5 streets with a higher grade than 33.3%: 1. Bradford above Tompkins (41% grade) 2. Romolo between Vallejo and Fresno (37.5% grade) 3. Prentiss between Chapman and Powhattan (37% grade) 4. Nevada above Chapman (35% grade) 5. Baden above Mangels (34% grade)

[@ApartmentKing66]

San Francisco has absurdly steep streets because Jasper O'Farrell, City Surveyor, laid out a street grid rather than taking terrain into account. Eldred St. is what you get when you just pave your way straight up a hillside.

[@shadarko]

And legend has it that Bethany is still up there to this very day.

[@kevinr5187]

Model T Fords would have had to go up in reverse due to them having gravity feed fuel carburetors. The tanks were above the engine, since there was no mechanical or electric fuel pump. So going up steep hill they either had to have a really full tank or the fuel would run to the end of the tank away from the fuel line and the motor would stop running due to no fuel going to it. 😅

[@toastnjam7384]

Part of the street I grew up on back in the 50's in south Silver Lake, (Maltman Ave) was really seep. A friend built a soapbox cart out of a huge discarded 1920's old timey floor radio. He nailed a piece of wood to it that would be used as a friction brake. It picked up a lot more speed than we expected and when he applied the 'brake' it came off. We were lucky there were no cars at the cross street at the bottom of the hill. We never did that again. You guys should explore the ruins of Hidden Springs. Located in Big Tujunga canyon, which was wiped out by flash flood in 1978 with around a dozen killed.

[@bendeleted9155]

I thought for sure it would be in San Francisco (Bradford/Tompkins). BTW, there is also a rival to Lombard Street in Potrero Hill: Vermont St. It's a little steeper than Lombard, which maxes about 27%.

[@heynowls3058]

I sometimes cycle in Mt Washington and Highland Park area hills. Those are tough hill rides. No thanks on this street!

[@c.k.185]

There is another paved street (in California) that puts this street to shame. The only catch… it’s on the Tule River Indian Reservation in Tulare County. It’s called Cow Mountain Road. Funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs under Federal building standards. Huge grade…

[@PeterMcDonald-sl9rt]

I wish you had talked to the Sanitation and UPS people. Ask them what their day and job is like. Often these essential workers are seen as faceless, dress extras in this big technicolor, wide-screen, 3-D, stsreophonic reality movie titled "Living In L.A.!" I'm surprised there wasn't a "Mrs. Kravitz-type" asking you WHO you were, and WHAT you were filming. Once you gain the trust of these folks, my aunt would call "yentas" and still play a rousing game of mah jong with them, they have great insight and "living history"to share.

[@Quartermaster323]

I believe it’s Baxter Street where they held contests on Saturdays to bike your way to the top non-stop. The side-to-side method was preferred.

[@xmo552]

Idk there's some streets in SF, South SF, Millbrae, Burlingame, Colma, Daly City areas that I think can take the cake. I've slid through intersections at the bottom of so many streets there. Some streets you need power *and* low gearing to make it up.

[@Swaze742]

I haven't seen your videos in a while. Yall were one of my favorite channels.

[@OddityOdysseys]

We've been posting a new video almost every week! :) Happy Saturday!

[@johnscannell4189]

Aw...poor Bethany! Good seeing you guys!

[@emgiemaico]

love you guys!

[@chuckefunn8624]

This one is debatable but love your video as always

[@M500VYN]

Amazing spot guys. Thanks for sharing your latest trip. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🇬🇧

[@OddityOdysseys]

Appreciate you checking it out!

[@SDongil]

Some years ago I drove my daughter to a friend's house in Echo Park, made the mistake of turning off Alvarado onto Baxter Street. In my stick-shift Honda Civic. About midway up I was wishing for something lower than first gear. But I did get to the top, where there was an intersection, and a 2-way stop - so I had to stop on that doggone hill and check for traffic. Never again!

[@overland_adventure_nz]

Why would you limit a street’s steepness? This would cut down on a load of New Zealand’s roads/streets. The worlds steepest street is in Dunedin New Zealand, had a few walks and runs up at quite a nice street, but just one of many steep streets in New Zealand.

[@Wolfspirit50]

Great video Beth & Drew! That would be a great work out for me, but I would have to be carried back down.

[@johanna7254]

Very cool! Never heard of this street. As someone who has often driven in SF, I'm quite impressed at those garbage truck and delivery drivers haha

[@OddityOdysseys]

They do great work and definitely made it seem easier than it is!

[@johnjohnston6529]

My son lives a couple of blocks away and walks his dog up this street (and the stairs) every week. Makes me come with him when I visit from the flat Central Valley. Whoof. Fortunately, I grew up in San Francisco, so I still have a few steep street muscles.

[@michaelbailey1352]

Trash truck is backing up the hill because reverse is always the lowest gear it's the first gear on the gear Cog on a transmission

[@mattf49006]

While not the steepest in California...I grew up in San Pedro till we moved to Simi..paternal grandparents lived off 22nd street...saw a few brake failures and folks who didn't turn wheels right and set parking brakes .....my soon to be stepmother was one..her sweet Chevy ll with a 327 / four speed could be heard making like a pinball during grandma saying grace at a Thanksgiving supper

[@cheryldanieri7359]

Yep I just mentioned that street ..22nd Gaffey, very STEEEEP

[@mattf49006]

@cheryldanieri7359 ...my grandparents..dad,uncle and aunt moved there in the mid 30s...2125 South Cabrillo..two houses north of 22nd..it was extensively remodeled in later in the 2000s i believe...the staircase up the front of the house is gone..basement totally gone thru.. we used to try and ride Flexi Flyers ( think Midwest sleds on wheels) down it...always chickened out and ended up in someone's yard ..good times

[@mattf49006]

@@cheryldanieri7359 and this was in the early/mid 60s...cars with sketchy drum brakes

[@cheryldanieri7359]

@@mattf49006 yep, & it hasn't changed one iota....still STEEP AS EFF

[@jeffl.3212]

On one of the other steep streets, supposedly the Los Angeles City or County fire departments test drive their fire engines on them. Make sure they can make it to the top, it’s a requirement before they purchase them. So I vaguely remember…. Maybe someone else has better data on that?

[@1customermaniac]

Thats not California's steepest. You gotta go to Maria Ave in San Diego... Apple Street is next door.

[@SCBB666]

I was looking for this. Dictionary Hill

[@SCBB666]

I delivered on those streets and it was a nightmare lol

[@ignaciobadillo903]

Baxter St., 2nd steepest at 32%.

[@cfb33774]

I 1970 I drove from Florida to California in a 1968 Mercury Montego. I went too fast on some of the hills of San Francisco and broke a motor mount on the car!

[@jeffl.3212]

I was just about to mention motor mounts…. My friend’s house had a short steep driveway. They had to replace the motor mounts on their 2 cars a couple times! I’m wondering if the people on this street have had to do the same?

[@peggycarlyle6409]

Such a fun video! Thanks for sharing ❤

[@OddityOdysseys]

Hope you're having a great weekend, Peggy. :)

[@jdc1979]

I think I’ll just cancel my gym membership and walk up and down this hill

[@OddityOdysseys]

Don't forget the steps at the top, and all for free!

[@sthrnbll2u65]

I yi yi lol thats a 21 nope street! Bethany kudos to you! 🎉. To much of a steep hill for this klutz! Lol that could be a whole nother show

[@johnking6252]

The road going around Diamond Head on Oahu is or was no joke! Great view if you're quick enough. 👍

[@zeb3144]

That street is insane! Greetings from UK.

[@autobreza7131]

Reverse gear in a vehicle is almost always the lowest (highest numerically) gear and offers the greatest torque multiplication. So heavy trucks can usually back up a steep grade without issue. Also backing down a steep grade is riskier as weight transfer from the heavier front of the vehicle (for front engine vehicles) means less effective braking overall.

[@benmulder6487]

That's crazy, I'm not sure I would be able to go down that hill looking at that view

[@stewarttaylor6784]

This was interesting. I figured going down would be harder. I would've had to call the paramedics

[@nlpnt]

I really hope that blue Honda Civic has the 6-speed manual, I can't imagine the strain that angle would put on CVT bands.

[@cfb33774]

Drew, were you walking backward down the hill to film Bethany? Great job filming it.

[@ck4426]

So interesting!!! We ironically drove on the one in Echo Park a few weeks ago and we were glad we were in a rental car!🤪

[@heynow4512]

What? When u reach a crest/top of the st, u couldn't see the road? Danger, danger Will Smith. Oh sh!t. 😮 And it's a narrow st to boot. 😅

[@seantaft9281]

Another great video ❤

[@stickynorth]

World's best/worst cardio workout video! "3 Minute Cardio" I can feel the heart attack setting in now just from the views/heights never mind the 240 BPM needed to haul yourself up a grade that steep! ;-)

[@CharlesBrown-dd8vz]

What would scare me are those trash bins on a windy day.

[@jewllake]

@0:31 seconds - was that the camera angle, or is that one large cup of coffee? Lol. Is that the famous flying Tesla hill?

[@janetyamashige9573]

Eldred Street looks like it's fracturing and starting to disintegrate. I bet it'd be great fun to watch that street being repaved!

[@OddityOdysseys]

Yes!

[@rickg882]

Imagine being a kid growing up on that street, no playing ball, no bikes, etc.

[@ikmarchini]

Drop the ball, buy another.

[@marksmith296]

Laurel st. San Diego is gnarly. Also second st by the laguna beach cop stop.

[@pookiemartinez1745]

lol is was a UPS driver in LA 39 and Baxter and Fargo st was on my route. but try Fellowship Pkwy, Silver Lake which is very thin, so you need to know where you can make a u turn. it is not easy for the novice. one way in, same way out. driving a P-600. many stairs also which is a good workout. happy 4th

[@ikmarchini]

I drove Baxter St. nearby which I think is the second steepest street. You know it's good when you finish nauseous. Then we ate at La Guelageutza. Still nauseous to this day. BTW, I'm told Romolo Pl. in SFO is 37.5% between Vallejo and Fresno.

[@Neil-ru7kw]

I've driven up(and down) it and the other two , hard to imagine a 1912 vehicle managing it . Take care

[@davidlee50]

Try Marin st. in Berkeley from the Circle to the top of the hill.

[@noahcount7132]

Impressively steep! Impressive video, Bethany and Drew! 👍👍 Do you know how Lombard Street in San Fran stacks up in comparison to Eldred Street?

[@OddityOdysseys]

Thanks, Noah! To our knowledge, Lombard Street is a 27 grade and Eldred Street is a 33.3 grade, but Lombard is crooked, so both seem to have their own set of challenges!

[@parrotletsrunearth1173]

Also take a look at 22nd Street in San Pedro. It's the city of Los Angeles.

[@realbadger]

Years ago here in Los Angeles I worked on a short indie film but I can't remember which one to look up, as I had to hike to the location from the nearest bus stop, and the streets were unexpectedly extraordinary steep, but offhand I cannot recall the street names, or the exact location.

[@cheryldanieri7359]

Possibly San Pedro, we have a very very steep steer on 22nd Street & Gaffey. Alot of Indie Films are made in this Sleepy port Town....but never on 22nd Gaffey.

[@SDGreg]

The Google street view camera car made it to the top. :)

[@ThePinkHammerLA]

😂😂😂this is so silly to me. Growing up in Pittsburgh we have sooo many steep streets like this. Im in LA now and I understand why people hike. My calf muscles has turned to mush living here😅

[@TheSev-]

Is it bad I actually waved back to Bethany as Drew left her behind? Hopefully she makes it back for the Hyrule stream Sunday.

[@OddityOdysseys]

👋

[@martymartin2894]

I was thinking san Francisco as I've seen some vlogs from there and it's all steep hills.

[@ac44000cw]

Places that I didn’t even know existed here in L.A

[@matthewr3986]

Fargo Street is better even if it's slightly less steep. Decades ago the LAFD would test new firetrucks to make sure it could go all the way up Fargo Street.

[@barrygreenstein2816]

Are you familiar with the Fargo street hill climb where people on bicycles try to make it up?

[@matthewr3986]

@@barrygreenstein2816 yes! It's awesome!

[@jedizelfknight]

I have the urge to drive on that dirt hill at the end to see if my Subaru can go up there lol

[@highdesertjohn]

What's at the top of those stairs?!

[@OddityOdysseys]

We dropped the ball on going all the way up the stairs to check it all out - perhaps a follow up video??

[@highdesertjohn]

@@OddityOdysseys I think its worth a follow up

[@JustBob5150]

The long flight of stairs lead to Cross Ave., another residential community

[@JustBob5150]

​@highdesertjohn Leads to Cross ave.

[@JustBob5150]

​@@OddityOdysseys Cross ave

[@richway7977]

Imagine walking this street during a rainstorm. Nope...

[@1WideRide]

I occasionally sleep walk but dang! Not Steep walking 🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽

[@Lee-yc1if]

If you want to go on a real hike.hike up Marin avenue in Berkeley California.

[@averyclyde1095]

Fantastic!! You guys are so cute and now I wanna find that street !

[@cee128d]

That would make a great sledding hill un here in Wisconsin in January.

[@rdupras]

SORRY, steepest is in SF. 37% on Prentiss. in five, four, three, two, one… The Steepest Streets In San Francisco, For Real 1. Prentiss between Chapman and Powhattan (37% grade) 2. Nevada above Chapman (36% grade) 3. Baden above Mangels (34% grade) * 4. Ripley between Peralta and Alabama (31.5% grade) 5. Filbert between Hyde and Leavenworth (31.5% grade) 6. 22nd between Vicksburg and Church (31.5% grade) 7. 24th between Grand View and Fountain (30% grade) 8. Kearny above Broadway (30% grade) ** 9. Holyoke between Karen and Woolsey (30% grade) 10. 25th above Grand View (30% grade) 11. Jones between Union and Filbert (29% grade) 12. Dwight above Goettingen (29% grade) 13. Folsom between Chapman and Powhattan (29% grade

[@jamesg2609]

Great video

[@chrisjohnmorse3892]

That’s pretty good but nothing compared to what I’ve seen. Check out Mill Valley Ca. OMAR St. Or Corte Madera Ca. SUMMIT DRIVE towards the top of Tamalpais ridge.

[@stickynorth]

For some context, I'm pretty sure most intermediate ski runs have less grade than this street!

[@yenxion6516]

😂 went to San Francisco for vacation almost die going up those hill and it was 105 degrees.

[@Tom-cy5em]

Take a look at walsh street in Grass Valley CalifornIa beleve the 500 blook a very steep street.

[@JHRIRS2010]

What about the streets in Spring Valley, CA?

[@RegularFootisChris]

cool skate spot!

[@timothynaugle1326]

I'll bet the trash truck with the best brakes in the whole waste disposal company only uses that route! 😮