How to Find Elevation on Google Maps

What's the elevation of your house? Your hiking trailhead? The land you're thinking of buying? Google Maps can help — but the exact steps depend on which version you're using, because elevation works differently on desktop, mobile, and Google Earth. Here's every method that actually works.

Method 1: Google Earth (most precise, free)

For an exact elevation number, Google Earth beats Google Maps. It's free, and you don't need to install anything — it runs in your browser at earth.google.com, or as a desktop app.

• Go to earth.google.com (or open Google Earth Pro on desktop).
• Search for your address or drag the map to the spot.
• Look at the bottom-right corner of the screen: as you move your cursor, Google Earth shows the exact elevation of the point under it, in feet or meters.

That's it — one number, updated live as you pan. This is the method surveyors and hikers actually use for quick lookups, because the figure comes from Google's global elevation dataset rather than a visual estimate.

Elevation along a route: In Google Earth Pro (desktop), draw a path with the path tool, right-click it, and choose Show Elevation Profile. You get a full cross-section chart of your hike or ride — distance on one axis, elevation on the other — so you can see every climb before you go.

Method 2: Google Maps on desktop (terrain view)

Google Maps on the web doesn't show an elevation readout when you click a point — that's the single most common misconception. What it *does* offer is the Terrain layer, which gives you a strong visual sense of the landscape:

• Go to maps.google.com.
• Hover over the Layers button (bottom-left) and select Terrain (under "Map type," choose "Terrain" — or pick "Terrain" from the layers panel).
• The map switches to shaded relief with contour lines. Zoom into mountainous areas and you'll see elevation contours labeled in feet or meters.

This won't tell you "this spot is 4,212 feet," but the contour labels let you read the landscape like a topographic map. For a rough sense of whether land slopes up or down across a property, it's genuinely useful.

Method 3: Google Maps on mobile (terrain layer)

The mobile app works the same way as desktop — visual terrain, no exact numbers:

• Open the Google Maps app and tap the Layers icon (top-right, the stacked-diamond button).
• Under "Map type," tap Terrain.
• Hills and mountains render with shading; zoom in for contour detail.

Handy on the trail for orienting yourself ("that ridge should be on my left"), but not a substitute for an actual elevation figure.

Method 4: The instant answer (no Google account needed)

If you just want the number — the elevation of an address or a set of coordinates, right now — use a dedicated elevation finder. Type any address or drop a pin, and you get the elevation immediately, with no app to open and no layers to toggle. Pair it with the latitude longitude finder if you're starting from raw coordinates, or check the distance between cities when planning a route across changing terrain.

Elevation vs. altitude: what's the difference?

People use the two words interchangeably, but they mean different things. Elevation is the height of a point on the ground above sea level — your house, a trailhead, a mountain summit. Altitude is the height of something *in the air* above the ground or sea level — an airplane, a drone, a hiker's GPS reading mid-flight on a paraglider. When you're asking "how high is this place," you want elevation. When a pilot asks "how high are we," that's altitude. The tools above all report elevation.

Which method should you use?

• Exact elevation of one spot: Google Earth (Method 1) or an elevation finder (Method 4).
• Elevation profile of a hike or bike route: Google Earth Pro's Show Elevation Profile.
• Quick visual sense of terrain: the Terrain layer in Google Maps (Methods 2 and 3).
• Comparing elevations across places: look up each spot with an elevation finder and compare the numbers side by side.

A note on accuracy

Consumer elevation data (Google's included) is typically accurate within a few dozen feet for most locations — fine for hiking, real estate curiosity, and trip planning, but not a substitute for a professional land survey if you're building something or settling a boundary. Elevation also depends on the vertical datum used; small differences between sources are normal and expected.

Frequently asked questions

Does Google Maps show elevation when I click a location? No. Clicking a point in Google Maps shows the address and coordinates, but not elevation. Use Google Earth or an elevation finder for the number.

How do I see elevation on Google Maps on iPhone? Tap the Layers icon, choose Terrain under Map type. You'll get shaded relief and contours, but not an exact elevation readout.

What is the elevation profile in Google Earth? A chart showing elevation changes along a path you draw. In Google Earth Pro: draw a path, right-click it, select Show Elevation Profile. It plots distance against elevation so you can preview every climb and descent.

Why do two sources give slightly different elevations for the same spot? Different elevation datasets, different measurement methods, and different vertical reference points. Differences of 10–30 feet between consumer sources are normal.