San Francisco is a city of hills — big ones, small ones, curvy ones, ones with stairs, ones that make your stomach drop, and ones featuring views so picturesque they stop you in your tracks in wonder.

I grew up near the peak of one of these treacherous slopes in my grandparents’ three-story flat in Nob Hill (on Jackson Street between Jones and Leavenworth). At the top of one of the city’s most famously steep streets, I lived the kind of life where, at home, quite literally everything was “all downhill from there.”

Sign up for The Bold Italic newsletter to get the best of the Bay Area in your inbox every week.

While a pain at times, I admired the back-breaking, calf-straining hills of my youth. In adulthood, I haven’t been able to find any sort of city-sanctioned list that categorically defines San Francisco’s steepest streets. The Department of Public Works does have a comprehensive map with the grade calculations of almost every street in the city, but they never bothered to collate into any sort of official ranking.

Fortunately, I came across the work of Stephen Von Worley, a fellow data nerd who operates the visualization website Data Pointed. He took the time to comb through some topographical maps in search of San Francisco’s most intimidating inclines, and thanks to his diligent fieldwork, we finally have a real list.

The streets on this list may not be the ones you’re expecting.

Time to get climbing.

My video documenting the steep streets.

10. Broadway Street above Taylor (31% grade)

High atop the city on Nob Hill, Broadway provides more than just a difficult march upward; it also works as a sort of time capsule for those tired of seeing the city’s new-age high-rises dominate the skyline. Here, you can get a mesmerizing, unobstructed glimpse of the Bay Bridge, Transamerica Pyramid, and a few of the Embarcadero Center buildings, without a Salesforce Tower in sight.

The following four streets tied for sixth place:

6. Filbert Street between Hyde and Leavenworth (31.5% grade)

This just may be the best view in town. What was at one time deemed the steepest street in San Francisco—by the city’s Bureau of Engineering, no less—Filbert Street has since been dethroned and now shares the glory of sixth place, tied with three others. But that doesn’t make it any less impressive of a hill. The picture-perfect vista of Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower are the visual collateral for taking the plunge down its 31.5% grade.

6. 22nd Street between Vicksburg and Church (31.5% grade)

Surrounded by a set of majestic Victorian houses, 22nd Street warns trucks and other large vehicles about its sharp hill grade, right before the pavement drops out from under them. If it weren’t for the stairs imprinted on the sidewalk, I’d assume it’d warn the pedestrians as well.

6. 24th Street between De Haro and Rhode Island (31.5% grade)

Lining a road with cobblestones isn’t all that common in a city like San Francisco, but looking at a street like this, you understand how important the added stability is. 24th Street leans towards the peak of Potrero Hill, just a quick jaunt down from Starr King Elementary. But if you’d much rather walk the incline than drive it, make sure to check out the beautiful Purple House at the foot of the hill as well.

6. Ripley between Peralta and Alabama (31.5% grade)

There’s something… different about Ripley. Maybe it’s the location — a quiet, unassuming road tucked away near the perimeter of Bernal Heights Park. Maybe it’s the length — at over 90 meters, it has the longest sustained slope of any street on this list. Or maybe it’s the lack of stairs to assist the poor souls who march up the hill that makes this street a nightmare to climb.

5. Baden above Mangels (34% grade)

You probably won’t find a steeper street in a more secluded location than Baden, a one-way dead end atop SF’s Sunnyside district. Its 34% incline is not something I can recommend you drive (you could technically take your car up it, but you’d run into a dead end leading straight into a neighbor’s garage). Nonetheless, steep is steep, and you can’t take that away from Baden.

4. Nevada above Chapman (35% grade)

Okay, maybe you will find a steeper street in a more secluded location. I’d like to think of Nevada Street as the final boss before reaching the top of Bernal Heights. It’s a gruff, messily paved incline that has more in common with the park it funnels into than the streets it rises from. With a slope of 35%, a couple of health potions would certainly be useful.

3. Prentiss between Chapman and Powhatan (37% grade)

Barely two blocks from the previous street, Prentiss offers a much more dastardly approach to the traditionally steep hill. The 37% grade is accented by a curvy little base and decorated with tire marks from all the brave drivers who, presumably, now second-guess their braking abilities.

2. Romolo between Vallejo and Fresno (37.5% grade)

The cozy North Beach district and the adjacent Telegraph Hill have been purveyors of steep slopes for over a century, so it’s a bit surprising that this tiny alleyway is the steepest they could come up with. The descent is a short-lived experience, yes, but the two-axis tilt of Romolo will catch you off guard, and leave you wondering if the shortcut was really worth bottoming out your car for.

1. Bradford above Tompkins (41% grade)

The steepest street in San Francisco… is hardly a street. The whopping 41% grade section of Bradford above Tompkins extends only about 15 feet down the hill, before leveling out to a more manageable slope. I can’t imagine paving this road with a straight face — they had to have known it was ridiculous to have a grade like this. But I guess when a major selling point is the view of the Alemany Farmers’ Market, the Hunters Point Shipyard, and Candlestick Point, I think the people visiting are the ones who have the last laugh.

Again, this was probably not the list you were expecting. Most of these hills don’t actually provide the typical tourist views that you’d expect from a “TOP 10 OF SAN FRANCISCO” list, but if it’s altitude you seek, these hills you shall receive.

They are among the most gracious parts of the city, always inviting the residents of SF to trample all over their curves. And through the warm embrace of lactic buildup in your thighs or the gentle concrete kisses to your car’s underside, they have their own special way of returning the favor and showing you their love.