California topographic maps
Click on a map to view its topography, its elevation and its terrain.
Big Bear Lake
United States > California > San Bernardino County > Big Bear Lake
At a surface elevation of 6,743 ft (2,055 m) above sea level, it has an east-west length of approximately seven miles (11 km) and is approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) at its widest measurement, though the lake's width mostly averages a little more than 1⁄2 mi (0.8 km). These approximations are based on the…
Average elevation: 7,247 ft
San Francisco
United States > California > City and County of San Francisco > San Francisco
Average elevation: 131 ft
Salton City
United States > California > Imperial County
In the 1970s, most of the buildings constructed along the shoreline, including the city's marina were abandoned due to rising sea elevation. In the 1980s, the Imperial Irrigation District took proactive water conservation measures to reduce the flow of unused canal water into the Salton Sea. Throughout the…
Average elevation: -131 ft
Palm Springs
United States > California > Riverside County
Palm Springs, located in the Coachella Valley, is characterized by striking topography shaped by both the Colorado Desert and surrounding mountain ranges. The city lies at an average elevation of around 480 feet (146 meters) above sea level. To the west, the San Bernardino Mountains rise dramatically, with…
Average elevation: 2,818 ft
La Jolla
United States > California > San Diego County > San Diego > La Jolla
Average elevation: 121 ft
San Luis Obispo
United States > California > San Luis Obispo County > San Luis Obispo
Average elevation: 833 ft
Lee Vining
United States > California > Mono County
Lee Vining (formerly Leevining, Poverty Flat, and Lakeview) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Mono County, California, United States. It is located 25 miles (40 km) south-southeast of Bridgeport, at an elevation of 6,781 feet (2,067 m). Lee Vining is located on the southwest…
Average elevation: 7,152 ft
Pine Valley
United States > California > San Diego County
According to the United States Geological Survey, Pine Valley is located 3,736 feet (1,139 m) above sea level, at 32°49′17″N 116°31′45″W / 32.82139°N 116.52917°W / 32.82139; -116.52917. Interstate 8 passes east-to-west along the southern border of Pine Valley, and crosses Laguna Summit…
Average elevation: 3,967 ft
Altamont Pass
United States > California > Alameda County
Altamont Pass, formerly Livermore Pass, is a low mountain pass in the Diablo Range of Northern California between Livermore in the Livermore Valley and Tracy in the San Joaquin Valley. The name is actually applied to two distinct but nearby crossings of the range. The lower of the two, at an elevation of 741…
Average elevation: 1,112 ft
Independence
Independence is a census-designated place in Inyo County, California. Independence is located 41 miles (66 km) south-southeast of Bishop, at an elevation of 3930 feet (1198 m). It is the county seat of Inyo County, California. The population of this census-designated place was 669 at the 2010 census, up from…
Average elevation: 3,934 ft
Rancho Santa Fe
The climate of Rancho Santa Fe is, for the most part, typical of the San Diego metropolitan area though its higher elevation and inland location lends itself to larger temperature variations.
Average elevation: 203 ft
Cardiff-by-the-Sea
United States > California > Encinitas > Cardiff-by-the-Sea
Average elevation: 105 ft
Gilroy
United States > California > Santa Clara County > Gilroy
Gilroy is approximately 16 miles (26 km) south of San Jose, California (Bailey Avenue (37.206770, -121.729150) to Monterey/Day Road (37.038210, -121.584480)) on U.S. Route 101 and 19 miles (31 km) inland from the Pacific Coast. Despite its apparent close proximity to San Jose, it is important to note that…
Average elevation: 715 ft
Yucca Valley
United States > California > San Bernardino County
Yucca Valley lies in the middle of the Morongo Basin at a base elevation of 3,300 feet. Joshua Tree National Park is adjacent to its southern border.
Average elevation: 3,629 ft
Thousand Oaks
United States > California > Ventura County > Thousand Oaks
The northern parts consist of mountainous terrain in the Simi Hills, Conejo Mountains and Mount Clef Ridge. Narrow canyons such as Hill Canyon cut through the steeper mountainous areas. Conejo Mountain and Conejo Grade are found in westernmost Newbury Park, while the southernmost parts of Thousand Oaks are…
Average elevation: 994 ft
Sebastopol
United States > California > Sonoma County
Sebastopol's elevation is 65 to 250 feet (20 to 76 meters) above sea level. Its downtown is at the intersection of State Route 12 and State Route 116 (Gravenstein Highway), approximately 9 mi (14 km) west of U.S. Route 101.
Average elevation: 226 ft
Idyllwild-Pine Cove
United States > California > Riverside County
"Mile-high Idyllwild" is a mountain resort about one-mile (1,600 m) in altitude. Idyllwild is flanked by two large rock formations, Tahquitz Peak and Suicide Rock (also known as Lily Rock), which are famous in Southern California rock-climbing circles. It offers no skiing, so "the Hill" has been minimally…
Average elevation: 5,728 ft
Mojave National Preserve
Climate in the preserve varies greatly. Summer temperatures average 90 °F (32 °C), with highs exceeding 105 °F (41 °C). Elevations in the preserve range from 7,929 feet (2,417 m) at Clark Mountain to 880 feet (270 m) near Baker. Annual precipitation varies from 3.37 inches (86 mm) near Baker, to almost 9…
Average elevation: 3,146 ft
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park lies in a unique geologic setting along the western margin of the Salton Trough. This major topographic depression with the Salton Sink having elevations of 200 ft (61 m) below sea level, forms the northernmost end of an active rift valley and a geological continental plate…
Average elevation: 1,988 ft
Sierra National Forest
Sierra National Forest covers, in descending order of forestland area, the eastern portions of Fresno, Madera, and Mariposa counties, adjacent to the southern part of Yosemite National Park. It includes more than 1,300,000 acres (2,000 sq mi; 5,300 km2), at altitudes ranging from 900 to 13,986 feet (274 to…
Average elevation: 6,519 ft
Lassen National Forest
An ancient volcano, known as Mount Tehama is believed to have been much larger and taller than Lassen Peak. Its erosion is responsible for the topography of the national forest and the national park: a volcanic rim, with elevations beginning at 6,000 feet (1,800 m) above sea level.
Average elevation: 4,895 ft
Los Padres National Forest
Los Padres National Forest is a United States national forest in southern and central California. Administered by the United States Forest Service, Los Padres includes most of the mountainous land along the California coast from Ventura to Monterey, extending inland. Elevations range from sea level to 8,847…
Average elevation: 1,460 ft
Sand City
United States > California > Monterey County
Sand City is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, located on the shores of Monterey Bay, and surrounded on most sides by the larger city of Seaside. Sand City is located 2 miles (3 km) northeast of Monterey, at an elevation of 72 feet (22 m). The population was 325 at the 2020 census. The city…
Average elevation: 36 ft
Hollywood Hills
United States > California > Los Angeles County > Los Angeles
Average elevation: 794 ft
Kern River
Despite its remote source, nearly all of the river is publicly accessible. The Kern River is particularly popular for wilderness hiking and whitewater rafting. The Upper Kern River is paralleled by trails to within a half-mile of its source (which lies at 13,600 feet (4,100 m)). Even with the presence of Lake…
Average elevation: 3,990 ft
