Top 10 Steepest Streets in the World

The title of "world's steepest street" has been hotly contested, with Ffordd Pen Llech in Harlech, Wales, claiming the Guinness World Record in 2019 with a maximum gradient of 37.45%, only for Baldwin Street in Dunedin, New Zealand, to regain it in 2020 after a remeasurement dispute. Both streets rise at angles that seem almost impossible for a paved road.

Introduction

Steep streets are found in hilly cities around the world, where early urban planners laid out grid street patterns without regard for topography. The result is roads that climb at gradients far beyond what modern engineers would consider safe or practical. These streets attract tourists, challenge cyclists, and test the limits of vehicles and pedestrians alike.

1. Ffordd Pen Llech, Harlech, Wales — 37.45%

• Maximum Gradient: 37.45%
• Location: Harlech, Gwynedd, Wales
• Guinness Record: Steepest street (disputed)

Ffordd Pen Llech is a narrow residential street in the medieval town of Harlech in North Wales, climbing from the town center toward Harlech Castle. Guinness World Records certified it as the world's steepest street in July 2019, measuring a maximum gradient of 37.45% — meaning the road rises 37.45 meters for every 100 meters of horizontal distance.

The street's claim has been contested by supporters of Baldwin Street in New Zealand, who argue that the measurement methodology favored the Welsh street. The debate centers on whether gradient should be measured at the steepest point or averaged over the street's full length. Regardless of the outcome, walking up Ffordd Pen Llech is a cardiovascular challenge.

2. Baldwin Street, Dunedin, New Zealand — 34.8%

• Maximum Gradient: 34.8%
• Length: ~350 m
• Location: Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand
• Notable: Held Guinness record 1987–2019

Baldwin Street in the suburb of North East Valley, Dunedin, held the Guinness World Record for the steepest street from 1987 to 2019. Its maximum gradient of 34.8% means that for every 2.86 meters of horizontal travel, the road rises 1 meter. The street is paved with concrete rather than asphalt because tar would flow down the slope on hot days.

Baldwin Street has become a major tourist attraction for Dunedin. The annual Cadbury Jaffa Race, in which 30,000 Jaffa candies are rolled down the street, attracts thousands of spectators. Cyclists regularly attempt to ride to the top, though many fail. The residents at the top of the street enjoy spectacular views but face unique challenges with deliveries, parking, and winter ice.

3. Canton Avenue, Pittsburgh, USA — 37%

• Maximum Gradient: 37%
• Location: Beechview, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
• Notable: Steepest public street in the United States

Canton Avenue in the Beechview neighborhood of Pittsburgh has a maximum gradient of 37%, making it the steepest officially recognized public street in the United States. The steepest section is only about 9 meters long, which is why it has not been submitted for the Guinness record (which requires a longer sustained gradient), but the pitch is extraordinary.

Pittsburgh is built on steep hills at the confluence of three rivers, and the city has more than 700 sets of public stairs — more than any other city in the United States. Canton Avenue is closed to traffic during winter ice events because even four-wheel-drive vehicles cannot maintain traction on the slope.

4. Filbert Street, San Francisco, USA — 31.5%

• Maximum Gradient: 31.5%
• Location: San Francisco, California, USA
• Notable: One of San Francisco's iconic steep streets

Filbert Street between Leavenworth and Hyde Streets has a gradient of 31.5%, making it one of the steepest streets in San Francisco — a city famous for its hills. The block is so steep that the sidewalk becomes a staircase, and parked cars must curb their wheels to prevent rolling.

San Francisco's steep streets are a legacy of the city's grid street plan, imposed on hilly terrain during the Gold Rush era without regard for topography. The city has 48 named hills, and streets like Filbert, Lombard (famous for its switchbacks), and 22nd Street give the city its distinctive roller-coaster character.

5. Waipio Road, Honolulu, USA — 37%

• Maximum Gradient: 37%
• Location: Aiea, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
• Notable: One of the steepest streets in Hawaii

Waipio Road in the Aiea neighborhood of Honolulu has a reported maximum gradient of approximately 37%, rivaling Canton Avenue in Pittsburgh. The street climbs a volcanic ridge above Pearl Harbor, offering dramatic views of the harbor and the surrounding mountains of Oahu.

Hawaii's volcanic topography creates steep slopes throughout the islands, and many residential streets in Honolulu's hillside neighborhoods have gradients that would be considered extreme anywhere in the world. The combination of tropical rain and steep gradients makes traction and drainage constant concerns for residents and city engineers.

Key Facts

• Ffordd Pen Llech in Wales has a certified gradient of 37.45%.
• Baldwin Street in New Zealand uses concrete paving because asphalt would melt and flow downhill.
• Pittsburgh has over 700 public stairways — more than any other US city.
• San Francisco's steep streets result from a grid plan imposed on hilly terrain during the Gold Rush.
• The steepest streets have gradients where the road rises about 1 meter for every 2.7 meters horizontally.

Fun Facts

• Baldwin Street's annual Jaffa Race sees 30,000 chocolate candies rolled down the slope while spectators scramble to catch them.
• Canton Avenue in Pittsburgh is so steep that it is officially closed during winter ice — even snowplows struggle on the grade.
• San Francisco drivers are legally required to curb their wheels when parking on steep hills — failure to do so is a traffic violation.
• Some streets in Harlech, Wales, are so steep that letter carriers reportedly deliver mail by sliding packages down the slope.

Final Thoughts

The world's steepest streets are quirky geographical oddities that delight tourists, torment cyclists, and test the engineering limits of roads and vehicles. They remind us that human settlement patterns do not always conform to the logic of terrain — sometimes a grid plan wins out over gravity, producing streets that are as impractical as they are iconic.