Cameron Pass

Overview

Cameron Pass is a Category 4 climb in the US, 4.5km long. It gains 191m net, starting at 2,941m and topping out at a summit elevation of 3,132m. Everything here happens at altitude, which sharpens the effort well beyond what the modest category and length suggest.

The headline stat to watch is the split between net elevation gain and total ascent. Cameron Pass banks 402m of total ascent while only lifting you 191m from bottom to top. That is 211m of climbing you do and then give back to descents and dips along the way. In practice, this is not a single steady drag but an undulating road, and the recovered elevation means you pay for gradient repeatedly rather than once.

How the Gradient Unfolds

The 4.21% average gradient is a poor guide to what your legs will feel. With 402m of ascent packed into 4.5km of undulation, the true climbing sections are considerably steeper than the average, and they are interrupted by flatter or downhill relief that drags the number down.

• Flatter and downhill recovery sections where the road gives back elevation
• Repeated short climbs rather than one continuous ramp
• A steepest pitch that bites well into double-digit gradient

Ride it expecting punches, not a plateau. Each rise resets your effort, so the challenge is repetition, not a single sustained wall.

Pacing Notes

On an undulating climb like this, even-speed pacing will burn you out. Holding a constant pace forces huge power spikes on the steep ramps and coasting on the descents, which wastes energy. Aim instead for even effort: ease slightly on the steepest pitches and keep pressure on the flatter sections where speed comes cheap.

Anchor that effort to your sustainable power output so the hard ramps stay just under threshold rather than blowing past it. If you are unsure of your number, run the FTP estimator before you go, then hold effort a touch below it on the climbs and recover actively on the dips.

Gearing

The steepest ramp on Cameron Pass reaches well into double figures, and at over 2,900m the thin air makes those pitches feel harder than they read at sea level. Gear for the steep, not the average. A compact or sub-compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette — think 34×32 or 34×34 — gives you a bailout gear to spin the steep sections at a sustainable cadence.

Check your setup before the ride. Confirm your largest sprocket and chainring actually give you the low gear you expect, rather than discovering the ramp is steeper than your cassette on the day.

Summary

• Length: 4.5 km
• Average gradient: 4.21%
• Maximum gradient: 17.76%
• Net elevation gain: 191 m
• Total ascent: 402 m
• Category: 4

Cameron Pass is short on paper but deceptive in the legs. The undulation and altitude turn a modest Category 4 into a repeated punch of steep ramps. Pace by effort, gear for the steepest pitch, and treat the recovery sections as chances to bank speed rather than rest.