Elevation Map of Kentucky
This Kentucky topographic elevation map shows the Bluegrass State in 24 terraced elevation bands. The scale runs from 78 meters (256 ft) up to 1,263 meters (4,144 ft). Each band steps through the relief in sequence, so the map reads like a physical relief model. Lowlands appear in deep greens, middle elevations warm into golds and reds, and the highest terrain fades into grays and whites.
Kentucky covers about 104,656 square kilometers (40,407 sq mi). The Cumberland Plateau crumples the east of this topographic map, while the Bluegrass basin and the western coalfields ease toward the Mississippi.
Highest Point in Kentucky
Black Mountain, at 4,144 ft (1,263 m), is the highest point in Kentucky. On this topographic map, it anchors the pale summit end of the elevation scale.
Lowest Point in Kentucky
The lowest point in Kentucky is the Mississippi River in the far west, at an elevation of 256 ft (78 m). On the relief map, this terrain fills the deep green base of the color scale.
Kentucky Map Datasets
I prepared this relief map with elevation data from the AWS Terrain Tiles dataset. The dataset builds on the NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) along with other open topographic sources, and it serves global elevation data as map tiles that anyone can access.
The map spaces its 24 elevation bands with a blend of two methods. Half of the spacing follows equal elevation steps. The other half follows equal land area, a technique known as histogram equalization.
Why blend them?
A fixed interval scale would leave flatter regions sitting in a single color, which hides their topography. On the other hand, full histogram equalization would push a quarter of the land into summit tones. The blend lets this elevation map use the entire relief palette while the legend stays honest. Each label marks the true elevation behind its band, which is why the values are not evenly spaced.
