Here’s Why LA Has Streets That Are Steep Enough To Launch Teslas Into The Air

Native American tribes including my ancestors in the Chumash Tribe, as well as the Tongva, Tataviam, Fernandeno, and other Indigenous tribes, peacefully inhabited the region we now know as Los Angeles for over 10,000 years prior to colonization. The region was first colonized by the Spanish in 1769 before the United States conquered the region and claimed it for itself in 1847, and U.S. immigrants flooded to the region during the California Gold Rush of 1849. One of the first tasks necessary for these immigrants to convert public lands into private property was to impose American cartographic standards on the region. They took advantage of the walking paths established by generations of Indigenous Native American inhabitants including what we now know as Ventura Boulevard, the 101 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley, and the 110 Freeway between LA and Long Beach.

Beyond the preexisting Indigenous walking paths, these new American immigrants wanted to occupy the region more densely, and drew up their maps to reflect that, but failed to account for the region’s mountainous geography. The new American colonizers drew up plans for the region on a map that failed to account for topography, and moved forward with building the roads regardless of geographical obstacles. Thus we have the arrogance of white colonizers and American immigrants to thank for the absurdly steep hills in LA’s Silverlake, Los Feliz, Mount Washington, and San Pedro neighborhoods.

Eldred Street in the Mount Washington neighborhood of Los Angeles is the steepest street in the city, at a 33.3-percent grade. That means the road gains 33 feet of elevation for every 100 feet traveled, and that’s freakin’ steep. It was built in 1912, and it’s so steep that the U.S. Postal Service had to stop driving it to deliver mail and use a community mailbox at its base. Dedicated mini garbage trucks must be used to collect waste every week, and even these mini trash trucks have to reverse up the incline so they don’t have to risk tipping over when they turn around at the top. This 2003 Los Angeles Times article cites residents who live on Eldred street, who say you can’t turn your car perpendicular to the street in the rain because you’ll slide sideways down the hill. Parked cars turn into runaway cars as they speed unmanned down the hill, and delivery trucks are known to lose their cargo due to the incline. Eldred is a dead-end street, though, so some dispute its validity as the steepest street since it’s not a through-street.

28th Street in LA’s southern vestigial neighborhood of San Pedro has a 33-percent gradient, making it the fourth-steepest road in the U.S., and buses are not permitted to use it due to its steepness.

Good ol’ Baxter Street is the fateful site of that flying Tesla. Located in the trendy Los Feliz neighborhood, its 32-percent grade is exacerbated by the fact that there is a steep drop-off on both sides of Alvarado street, where the Tesla got over 50-feet of air. It dates back to 1892 and was used as a site to test the power and climbing ability of early automobiles. It was turned into a one-way street to minimize its use and to minimize potential for crashes at its steep peak, where the view from behind the wheel is just sky. Its surface is marked with a grid pattern to help tires grip the road.

Fargo Street in Silverlake also sports a 32-percent grade, and it’s famous for the annual Fargo Street Hill Climb where cyclists try to ride up the hill as many times as possible without putting a foot down. Unfortunately, the city declined to provide a permit for the Fargo Street Hill Climb in 2019 and it hasn’t been held since, ending a 50-year tradition.

The city of Los Angeles is an incredibly beautiful and geographically diverse region, with plenty to see and do if you’re coming to visit. Next time you visit, skip the Walk of Fame and hike up the steep streets if you dare. Just make sure that rain isn’t in the forecast, and be mindful for dirt or debris that could cause you to lose traction and fall on your face. Oh, and don’t try to recreate the viral Tesla jump video. You know cars can catch air if you speed up Baxter street, so don’t push your luck. Even if you have a Raptor, and yes I’ve seen the videos of Raptors doing it successfully, you smart aleck. Just don’t do it. As a reminder, if you park your vehicle going down a hill, turn your wheels toward the curb, and do the opposite when parked going up a hill.