Elevation Profile
Draw a path on a map or route between two places and get its elevation profile chart with total climb and descent, highest and lowest points and the steepest grade.
How to get an elevation profile
- Draw or route. Click points along your path on the map, or switch tabs and enter two places to follow roads or trails.
- Get the profile. The page reads ground elevation at 200 evenly spaced points.
- Read the chart. Move along the chart to see the elevation at each distance.
- Check the totals. Total climb, total descent, lowest and highest points and the steepest stretch; download the samples as CSV.
When an elevation profile helps
Hiking
How much climbing is on a trail before you go.
Cycling
Where the hills are on a ride and how steep they get.
Running
Compare the elevation of race courses.
Driving with a trailer or RV
Spot long grades on a route.
Drainage and pipelines
Check the fall along a planned line.
Radio links
See whether terrain blocks a line between two antennas.
Property
The slope across a lot.
Geography lessons
Profile across a valley or mountain range.
Where the elevations come from
Elevations come from the Copernicus GLO-90 digital elevation model (European Space Agency), a worldwide grid of ground height at about 90 m spacing, served by Open-Meteo's elevation API.
The path is divided into 200 equal steps along geodesics and the elevation is read at each one. Total climb adds every rise between samples; total descent adds every drop. The steepest stretch is the largest grade between neighbouring samples more than 30 m apart.
A 90 m grid smooths small features: bridges and tunnels show the ground under them, cliffs are softened, and climbs shorter than about 100 m can be missed. In narrow canyons the opposite happens: a cell can take in the canyon walls, so a road along the bottom shows false ups and downs and too much climb. GPS watches and barometric altimeters usually report more total climb. Routes between two places come from OSRM over OpenStreetMap on the FOSSGIS servers.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my total climb lower than my GPS watch says?
The 90 m elevation grid smooths small ups and downs that a barometer or GPS records, and watches also add measurement noise.
What does a 10% grade mean?
10 m of rise for every 100 m of horizontal distance.
Does it show bridges?
No. The elevation model is the ground surface, so a bridge shows the valley below it.
How many points can I draw?
As many as you like; the profile is always sampled at 200 points.
Is it accurate enough for engineering?
No. It is a 90 m global model; use survey or lidar data for design.
Can I use it outside the US?
Yes, the elevation model covers the whole world's land.
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