Elevation profile
Tap the map to draw a line and see how the ground rises and falls along it, with the total climb and the grades.
Example Manitou Springs to the top of Pikes Peak, as the crow flies. Tap the map to start your own line.
Loading the map…
- Distance
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- Total climb
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- Total descent
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- Lowest point
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- Highest point
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- Average grade
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- Steepest climb
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- Steepest descent
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Working out the profile…
How to use it
Tap the map to drop the first point, then keep tapping to extend the line: every tap adds a vertex. Two points are enough for a profile, and each new point updates it. Undo removes the last point and Clear starts over. If you can’t find the spot on the map, search for it by name and the line will start there.
Move your finger or mouse along the chart and a dot shows you on the map where you are; with a keyboard, use the arrow keys. The page address stores the points of the line, so sharing the profile is as easy as copying the link. You can also download it as an image, as a CSV for a spreadsheet or as a GPX for your phone or GPS unit.
Where the elevation comes from
The line is split into samples every few meters, up to a thousand, and each one takes its elevation from the Terrain Tiles, a worldwide digital elevation model that combines the best public data for each area, such as the USGS 3D Elevation Program in the United States and NASA’s SRTM elsewhere, published on Amazon Web Services. The shorter the line, the finer the detail it reads. We use these tiles for every profile, everywhere, because a single tile gives the elevation of hundreds of points at once.
For a single point in Spain there’s something finer: the MDT05 model from Spain’s National Geographic Institute, a grid with one value every 5 meters, which the Elevation finder and What is my elevation? use. That’s why the elevation of one spot may not match exactly between those tools and this profile, especially on summits and in gorges, where a coarser grid smooths the terrain.
How the climb is worked out
Total climb (elevation gain) adds up every bit of uphill, and total descent every bit of downhill. It isn’t the difference between the highest and the lowest point: a line that crosses three hills counts all three climbs.
To avoid adding up noise, a rise or a drop only counts once it passes 3 meters (about 10 ft); smaller wiggles are ignored. The average grade is all the climbing and descending divided by the distance, and the steepest grade is the largest over any 100 m (about 330 ft) stretch, so a single glitch in the model can’t inflate it. Below the chart you’ll find the grade section by section.
Why doesn’t it match my watch or app?
Every device measures in its own way. GPS elevation is off by several meters and jumps around from second to second, and if every tiny up and down is added, the total comes out higher than the real climb. Watches with a barometer are smoother but drift when the weather changes. And a terrain model can come up short on switchbacks or ridges narrower than its grid.
Apps correct for all this with different filters, so two of them can give different numbers for the same route. To compare routes, measure them all with the same tool. And if you already have the route recorded, open it in GPX elevation profile to compare the file’s elevation with the terrain model.
Frequently asked questions
What is an elevation profile?
A chart of the ground’s elevation along a route: distance across and height up. It shows at a glance where the climbs are and how steep they get.
Can I get the elevation difference between two points?
Yes. Drop just two points and you’ll see the elevation of each, how much the ground rises and falls between them in a straight line, and the grade.
Can I upload a GPX file?
That’s what GPX elevation profile is for: upload the file from Strava, Garmin or your GPS app and get its profile, grades by section and an estimated time.
How do I share the profile?
Use Share. The address includes the points of the line, so anyone who opens it sees the same profile.
Can I see it in kilometers and meters?
Yes, with the units switch. Your choice is remembered for next time.
Related tools
All toolsSources
- Terrain Tiles · USGS 3DEP, NASA SRTM, NOAA, Copernicus and other public sources (AWS Open Data)
- Base map · OpenFreeMap, with OpenStreetMap data
- Place search · Photon (Komoot), with OpenStreetMap data