Elevation profile

How far apart the samples are

How to use it

1. Click the start of the path on the map.
2. Click each bend in order. After the second click the line appears and the elevations load.
3. Keep clicking to extend the path. Each click resamples the whole path and redraws the profile.
4. Read the line under the chart for the path length in kilometers and the total climb in meters.
5. Press Clear path to start again.

How the profile is built

The tool measures the whole path with great-circle distances, then places 80 points at equal spacing along it, following each leg in turn. It sends all 80 coordinates to Open-Meteo's elevation API in one request. The answer is the Copernicus DEM 2021 release GLO-90, which has 90 meter resolution.

The chart plots elevation against distance, stretched to fill the box, so a gentle hill and a steep one can look alike. Read the numbers, not the slope of the line on screen.

Total climb and grade

Total climb adds every rise between one sample and the next and ignores descents. Sampling smooths the terrain, so small ups and downs between samples are missed and the climb reads lower than a GPS watch on the same route.

To get the average grade of a leg, divide its rise by its length: a 120 m rise over 2 km is 6%. Road grades are usually quoted this way. Trail grades on steep terrain can be much higher over short stretches that 80 samples cannot resolve.

Common uses

Hikers and cyclists check how much climbing a route has before they go. Radio and antenna hobbyists look for ridges between two points. Combined with the horizon calculator, a profile shows whether terrain or the Earth's curve blocks a view. For a single point, the elevation finder is quicker.