MacDonald Pass

Overview

MacDonald Pass is a Category 2 climb in the United States, running 9.8 km from a start elevation of 1,354 m to a summit at 1,928 m. Over that distance it delivers 574 m of net elevation gain at an average gradient of 5.87%. On paper that is a moderate, sustained effort — long enough to matter, not steep enough to blow apart on the average alone.

The number that reshapes the ride is the total ascent: 722 m against a net gain of 574 m. That 148 m difference is undulation — the climb gives back roughly 148 m of descent along the way, meaning you pay to climb more than the summit height suggests. Every metre of downhill or false flat is height you have to re-earn, so the true vertical workload is closer to 722 m than the tidy net figure.

How the Gradient Unfolds

An average of 5.87% is a blend, not a constant. With a maximum pitch of 14.43%, the road clearly stacks its difficulty into specific ramps while easing off elsewhere to keep the average down. The undulation confirms this: flatter and downhill sections dilute the mean, which means the climbing sections themselves are steeper than 5.87%.

• Flatter and recovery sections where the road eases or descends, dropping you into the 148 m of give-back
• Repeated short climbs that re-earn lost height after each dip
• A steepest ramp hitting 14.43%, well above the average and the pitch that dictates your gearing

Pacing Notes

On an undulating climb like this, even-speed pacing is a trap — holding a fixed speed forces surging power on the steep ramps and coasting on the descents. Ride to even effort instead, anchored to your sustainable power output. Let speed rise on the flatter give-back and hold power steady through the 14.43% pitch rather than chasing a number on the display.

Because 148 m of the 722 m total ascent is repeated climbing, small over-efforts compound. If you do not know your threshold, run the FTP estimator first, then set a target you can hold across all 9.8 km — including the sections you will climb twice.

Gearing

The 14.43% maximum governs your setup, not the 5.87% average. Fit a compact (34-tooth inner) or sub-compact chainset paired with a wide-range cassette — a 34×32 or 34×34 gives you a bailout low enough to spin the steepest ramp without grinding. On a climb that re-earns 148 m of lost height, leg-saving cadence matters more than raw speed. Check your chainring and cassette combination before the ride; discovering you are over-geared at 14.43% is a mistake you cannot fix on the road.

Summary

• Length: 9.8 km
• Average gradient: 5.87%
• Maximum gradient: 14.43%
• Net elevation gain: 574 m
• Total ascent: 722 m
• Category: 2

MacDonald Pass rewards riders who read past the average. Gear low for the 14.43% ramp, pace to even effort across the undulation, and respect that the 722 m of total ascent — not the 574 m net — is the real bill for reaching 1,928 m.