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
Camp Pendleton
United States > California > San Diego County > Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
Average elevation: 79 ft
Redding
United States > California > Shasta County > Redding
The elevation in Redding is 495 feet (151 meters) on average, whereas anywhere to the north, east, or west of downtown ranges between 550 feet (170 m) and 800 feet (240 m) feet. Southern portions range between 400 feet (120 m) and 500 feet (150 m).
Average elevation: 1,024 ft
South Encanto
United States > California > San Diego County > San Diego > South Encanto
Average elevation: 262 ft
Mariposa
United States > California > Mariposa County
Mariposa is located at 37°29′06″N 119°57′59″W / 37.48500°N 119.96639°W / 37.48500; -119.96639, at 1,949 feet (594 m) in elevation. It lies in the rugged foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Mariposa Creek flows through the town. Soils in the urban area are mostly brown to reddish brown loam of…
Average elevation: 2,257 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
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
Pacific Palisades
United States > California > Los Angeles County > Los Angeles
Pacific Palisades was formally founded in 1921 by a Methodist organization, and in the years that followed became a refuge for Jewish artists and intellectuals fleeing the Holocaust. The Palisades would later be sought after by celebrities and other high-profile individuals seeking privacy. It is known for its…
Average elevation: 643 ft
Bakersfield
United States > California > Kern County > Bakersfield
Most of Bakersfield’s major streets are six-lane divided roads with bike lanes, with almost every street in the city having proper lane signage for bicycle traffic. Bikes are a popular method of transportation in Bakersfield, due to the city’s relatively flat topography and grid-like street system. Newer…
Average elevation: 528 ft
La Jolla
United States > California > San Diego County > San Diego > La Jolla
Average elevation: 121 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
Pollock Pines
United States > California > El Dorado County
Pollock Pines is a census-designated place (CDP) in El Dorado County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. Pollock Pines lies at an elevation of 3,980 feet (1,210 m) in the Sierra Nevada. The population was 6,871 at the 2010 census,…
Average elevation: 3,681 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
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
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
Morgan Hill
United States > California > Santa Clara County > Morgan Hill
Morgan Hill is approximately 39 km (24 mi) south of downtown San Jose, 21 km (13 mi) north of Gilroy, and 24 km (15 mi) inland from the Pacific coast. Lying in a roughly 6 km-wide (4-mi-wide) southern extension of the Santa Clara Valley, it is bounded by the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west and the Diablo…
Average elevation: 476 ft
San Pedro Hill
United States > California > Los Angeles County > Rancho Palos Verdes
Average elevation: 935 ft
Pillar Point Harbor
United States > California > San Mateo County > El Granada
Average elevation: 43 ft
Placerville
United States > California > Placerville
The region east of Placerville, popularly known as Apple Hill and Pleasant Valley, is becoming a center for wine production. The wine region is officially designated as the El Dorado AVA. The largest wineries in the area are Boeger, Lava Cap and Madrona, but most of the 30 plus wineries surrounding Placerville…
Average elevation: 1,926 ft
Wrightwood
United States > California > Wrightwood
Wrightwood is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California. It sits at an elevation of 5,935 feet (1,809 m). The population was 4,525 at the 2010 census, up from the population of 3,837 at the 2000 census. Wrightwood is located 77 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
Average elevation: 6,247 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
Eldorado National Forest
United States > California > El Dorado County
The forest ranges in elevation from 1,000 feet (300 m) in the foothills to more than 10,000 feet (3,000 m) above sea level along the Sierra crest. The mountainous topography is broken by the steep canyons of the Mokelumne, Cosumnes, American, and Rubicon rivers. Plateaus of generally moderate relief are…
Average elevation: 5,928 ft
Clear Lake
United States > California > Lake County > Lakeport
Clear Lake is 19 mi (31 km) by 8 mi (13 km) at its widest point, with a surface area of 43,785 acres (17,719 ha) and a 1,155,000 acre⋅ft (1,425,000 dam3) capacity. Average depth is 27 ft (8.2 m), maximum is 60 ft (18 m), lake elevation is 1,329 ft (405 m), and average water temperature is 40 °F (4 °C) in…
Average elevation: 1,742 ft
Topanga County Beach
United States > California > Los Angeles County > Malibu
Average elevation: 174 ft
Mountain House
United States > California > San Joaquin County
Mountain House lies on the foothills of the Diablo Range, and close to the Altamont Pass which is over 1,000 feet in elevation. It is on the border of Alameda and Contra Costa counties. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2), all of it land. The…
Average elevation: 72 ft
San Quentin
United States > California > Marin County
San Quentin (Spanish: San Quintín, meaning "St. Quentin") is a small unincorporated community in Marin County, California, United States. It is located west of Point San Quentin, at an elevation of 30 feet (9.1 meters).
Average elevation: 10 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
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
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
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
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
Pine Valley
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. It crosses the Pine Valley…
Average elevation: 4,236 ft
Shaver Lake
United States > California > Fresno County
Shaver Lake (formerly, Musick Creek and Musick Creek Heights) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fresno County, California, United States. The population was 634 at the 2010 census, down from 705 at the 2000 census. Shaver Lake is on the southwest end of the lake of the same name, 10 miles (16 km) east of…
Average elevation: 5,128 ft
