There’s a genuine reason why Los Angeles has so many extremely steep streets
- LA has some of the steepest streets in the US
- Driving up them can be a challenge for motorists
- There’s an interesting story behind why it has so many steep roads
Published on Mar 17, 2025 at 8:24 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Mar 17, 2025 at 11:10 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
If you’ve ever spent any time in Los Angeles you may have noticed how steep the roads are – and it turns out there’s a very good reason for this.
The streets and roads in Los Angeles can hit some fairly extreme angles.
Eldred Street in the Mount Washington area has a 33.3 percent gradient, presenting a bit of a challenge for some vehicles.
But there’s an interesting history behind the city’s steep streets.
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Los Angeles has some of the steepest streets in the US
The topography of the United States has some seriously impressive inclines and declines – including The Chute in Sand Hollow State Park, Utah, or the Loop 2 section in Lake Ozark Offroad Park in Missouri.
While these difficult spots are generally tucked out of the way, some streets in LA would give them a run for their money.
In fact, four out of the five steepest stress in the continental US are in LA.
Which seems like an unusually high number, but it all comes down to how historic settlers attempted to make LA their own back in the 1800s.
These days, there’s legislation in place that prohibits any new street from being a gradient of more than 15 percent.
But when settlers and immigrants began to flood into the States in the 1800s, that wasn’t the case, and new roads were created regardless of the rough and undulating terrain you find in Mount Washington and San Pedro.
The steep streets can be a nightmare for motorists
Fast forward a few hundred years and many of these roads still exist and are still in use, including Eldred Street, which has a 33.3 percent gradient, and 28th Street in San Pedro which has a 33-percent gradient.
As you might imagine, these super steep streets aren’t great for motorists.
One resident of Eldred Street told the Los Angeles Times that he had seen cars sliding down on rainy days.
“One thing you cannot do is get off the paved road if it’s raining or wet. You’ll slide sideways down the hill,” he said.
He recalled an incident in which his neighbor’s car ended up sliding down an embankment and flipping on to its roof.
“Luckily no one was in it. My neighbor ran out screaming, ‘My car! My car!’ ” he added.
Not ideal.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
