Elevation Map of California

This California topographic elevation map shows the Golden State in 24 terraced elevation bands. The scale runs from -86 meters (-282 ft) up to 4,421 meters (14,505 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.

California covers about 423,970 square kilometers (163,694 sq mi). Coincidentally, California contains both the highest and the lowest points in the contiguous United States, and they sit only 85 miles apart.

Highest Point in California

Mount Whitney, at 14,505 ft (4,421 m), is the highest point in California. On this topographic map, it anchors the pale summit end of the elevation scale.

Lowest Point in California

The lowest point in California is Badwater Basin in Death Valley, at 282 ft (86 m) below sea level. On the relief map, this terrain fills the deep green base of the color scale.

California 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.