List of U.S. states by elevation

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State high points are shown as red circles. Low points are shown with green squares, except in states whose lowest elevation spans coastlines or lake shores (the Great Lakes or Lake Champlain).

The elevation of U.S. states may be described in several ways. These include:

  • the elevation of their highest point;
  • the elevation of their lowest point
  • and the difference between (range of) their highest points and lowest points.

The following list is a comparison of elevation absolutes in the United States. Data include interval measures of highest and lowest elevation for all fifty states and Washington, D.C..[1]

Which state is "highest" and "lowest" is determined by the definition of "high" and "low". For instance, Alaska could be regarded as the highest state because Denali, at 20,310 feet (6,190.5 m), is the highest point in the United States. However, Colorado, with the highest mean elevation of any state as well as the highest low point, could also be considered a candidate for "highest state". Determining which state is "lowest" is equally problematic. California contains the Badwater Basin in Death Valley, at 279 feet (85 m) below sea level, the lowest point in the United States;[2] while Florida has the lowest high point, and Delaware has the lowest mean elevation. Florida is also the flattest state, with the smallest difference between its highest and lowest points.

The list of highest points in each state is important to the sport of highpointing, where enthusiasts attempt to visit the highest point in each of the contiguous forty-eight states or in all fifty states.[3] As of 2006, 155 people had reached all fifty state highpoints.[4] Roughly 200–300 people attend the Highpointers Club convention each year.[5]

All elevations in the table below have been adjusted to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988.[6] The mean elevation for each state is accurate to the nearest 100 ft (30 m).

Elevation table

Elevations of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia[1][7][8]

State Highest point Highest elevation Lowest point Lowest elevation Mean elevation Elevation span
Alabama Cheaha Mountain[9] 2,413 ft
736 m
Gulf of Mexico sea level 500 ft
150 m
2,413 ft
736 m
Alaska Denali[10] 20,310 ft
6190.5 m
Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, and Arctic Ocean sea level 1,900 ft
580 m
20,310 ft
6190.5 m
Arizona Humphreys Peak[11] 12,637 ft
3852 m
Colorado River at Sonora border, San Luis, Arizona 72 ft
22 m
4,100 ft
1250 m
12,565 ft
3830 m
Arkansas Mount Magazine[12] 2,753 ft
839 m
Ouachita River at Louisiana border 55 ft
17 m
650 ft
200 m
2,698 ft
822 m
California Mount Whitney[13][14] 14,505 ft
4421.0 m
Badwater Basin in Death Valley[1][2][15] −279 ft
−85 m
2,900 ft
880 m
14,783 ft
4506 m
Colorado Mount Elbert[16][17] 14,440 ft
4401.2 m
Arikaree River at Kansas border[18][19] 3,317 ft
1011 m
6,800 ft
2070 m
11,123 ft
3390 m
Connecticut Massachusetts border on south side of Mount Frissell[20] 2,379 ft
725 m
Long Island Sound sea level 500 ft
150 m
2,379 ft
725 m
Delaware Near the Ebright Azimuth[21][22] 447 ft
136 m
Atlantic Ocean sea level 60 ft
20 m
447 ft
136 m
District of Columbia Fort Reno[23] 409 ft
125 m
Potomac River at eastern Maryland border 1.0 ft
0.3 m
150 ft
50 m
408 ft
124 m
Florida Britton Hill 345 ft
105 m
Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico sea level 100 ft
30 m
345 ft
105 m
Georgia Brasstown Bald 4,784 ft
1458 m
Atlantic Ocean sea level 600 ft
180 m
4,784 ft
1458 m
Hawaiʻi Mauna Kea[24][25] on the Island of Hawaiʻi 13,803 ft
4207 m
Pacific Ocean sea level 3,030 ft
920 m
13,803 ft
4207 m
Idaho Borah Peak[26] 12,668 ft
3861 m
Confluence of Snake River and Clearwater River 713 ft
217 m
5,000 ft
1520 m
11,954 ft
3644 m
Illinois Charles Mound[27] 1,235 ft
376 m
Confluence of Mississippi River and Ohio River 280 ft
85 m
600 ft
180 m
955 ft
291 m
Indiana Hoosier Hill 1,257 ft
383 m
Confluence of Ohio River and Wabash River 320 ft
97 m
700 ft
210 m
937 ft
286 m
Iowa Hawkeye Point 1,671 ft
509 m
Confluence of Mississippi River and Des Moines River 480 ft
146 m
1,100 ft
340 m
1,191 ft
363 m
Kansas Mount Sunflower 4,041 ft
1232 m
Verdigris River at Oklahoma border 679 ft
207 m
2,000 ft
610 m
3,361 ft
1025 m
Kentucky Black Mountain 4,145 ft
1263 m
Mississippi River at Kentucky Bend 257 ft
78 m
750 ft
230 m
3,887 ft
1185 m
Louisiana Driskill Mountain 535 ft
163 m
New Orleans −8 ft
−2.4 m
100 ft
30 m
543 ft
165 m
Maine Mount Katahdin[28] 5,270 ft
1606.4 m
Atlantic Ocean sea level 600 ft
180 m
5,270 ft
1606.4 m
Maryland Hoye-Crest 3,360 ft
1024 m
Atlantic Ocean sea level 350 ft
110 m
3,360 ft
1024 m
Massachusetts Mount Greylock[29] 3,491 ft
1064 m
Atlantic Ocean sea level 500 ft
150 m
3,491 ft
1064 m
Michigan Mount Arvon 1,979 ft
603 m
Lake Erie 571 ft
174 m
900 ft
270 m
1,408 ft
429 m
Minnesota Eagle Mountain 2,302 ft
701 m
Lake Superior 601 ft
183 m
1,200 ft
370 m
1,700 ft
518 m
Mississippi Woodall Mountain[30] 807 ft
246 m
Gulf of Mexico sea level 300 ft
90 m
807 ft
246 m
Missouri Taum Sauk Mountain 1,772 ft
540 m
Saint Francis River at southern Arkansas border 230 ft
70 m
800 ft
240 m
1,542 ft
470 m
Montana Granite Peak[31] 12,807 ft
3903.5 m
Kootenai River at Idaho border 1,804 ft
550 m
3,400 ft
1040 m
11,003 ft
3354 m
Nebraska Panorama Point 5,427 ft
1654 m
Missouri River at Kansas border 840 ft
256 m
2,600 ft
790 m
4,587 ft
1398 m
Nevada Boundary Peak[32] 13,147 ft
4007 m
Colorado River at California border 481 ft
147 m
5,500 ft
1680 m
12,665 ft
3860 m
New Hampshire Mount Washington[33][34] 6,288 ft
1917 m
Atlantic Ocean sea level 1,000 ft
300 m
6,288 ft
1917 m
New Jersey High Point 1,803 ft
550 m
Atlantic Ocean sea level 250 ft
80 m
1,803 ft
550 m
New Mexico Wheeler Peak[35] 13,167 ft
4013.3 m
Red Bluff Reservoir on Texas border 2,844 ft
867 m
5,700 ft
1740 m
10,323 ft
3147 m
New York Mount Marcy[36] 5,343 ft
1628.57 m
Atlantic Ocean sea level 1,000 ft
300 m
5,343 ft
1628.57 m
North Carolina Mount Mitchell[37] 6,684 ft
2037 m
Atlantic Ocean sea level 700 ft
210 m
6,684 ft
2037 m
North Dakota White Butte 3,508 ft
1069 m
Red River of the North at Manitoba border 751 ft
229 m
1,900 ft
580 m
2,757 ft
840 m
Ohio Campbell Hill 1,549 ft
472 m
Ohio River at Indiana border 455 ft
139 m
850 ft
260 m
1,094 ft
333 m
Oklahoma Black Mesa 4,975 ft
1516 m
Little River at Arkansas border 289 ft
88 m
1,300 ft
400 m
4,686 ft
1428 m
Oregon Mount Hood[38] 11,249 ft
3428.8 m
Pacific Ocean sea level 3,300 ft
1010 m
11,249 ft
3428.8 m
Pennsylvania Mount Davis 3,213 ft
979 m
Delaware River at Delaware border sea level 1,100 ft
340 m
3,213 ft
979 m
Rhode Island Jerimoth Hill 811 ft
247 m
Atlantic Ocean sea level 200 ft
60 m
811 ft
247 m
South Carolina Sassafras Mountain 3,560 ft
1085 m
Atlantic Ocean sea level 350 ft
110 m
3,560 ft
1085 m
South Dakota Harney Peak[39] 7,244 ft
2208 m
Big Stone Lake on Minnesota border 968 ft
295 m
2,200 ft
670 m
6,276 ft
1913 m
Tennessee Clingmans Dome 6,643 ft
2025 m
Mississippi River at Mississippi border 178 ft
54 m
900 ft
270 m
6,466 ft
1971 m
Texas Guadalupe Peak[40] 8,751 ft
2667 m
Gulf of Mexico sea level 1,700 ft
520 m
8,751 ft
2667 m
Utah Kings Peak[41] 13,534 ft
4125 m
Beaver Dam Wash at Arizona border 2,180 ft
664 m
6,100 ft
1860 m
11,354 ft
3461 m
Vermont Mount Mansfield[42] 4,395 ft
1340 m
Lake Champlain 95 ft
29 m
1,000 ft
300 m
4,300 ft
1311 m
Virginia Mount Rogers 5,729 ft
1746 m
Atlantic Ocean sea level 950 ft
290 m
5,729 ft
1746 m
Washington Mount Rainier[43] 14,417 ft
4394 m
Pacific Ocean sea level 1,700 ft
520 m
14,417 ft
4394 m
West Virginia Spruce Knob[44] 4,863 ft
1482.1 m
Potomac River at Virginia border 240 ft
73 m
1,500 ft
460 m
4,623 ft
1409 m
Wisconsin Timms Hill 1,951 ft
595 m
Lake Michigan 579 ft
176 m
1,050 ft
320 m
1,372 ft
418 m
Wyoming Gannett Peak[45] 13,809 ft
4209.1 m
Belle Fourche River at South Dakota border 3,101 ft
945 m
6,700 ft
2040 m
10,709 ft
3264 m
United States Denali,[10] Alaska 20,310 ft
6190.5 m
Badwater Basin,[15] California −279 ft
−85 m
2,500 ft
760 m
20,589 ft
6275.5 m

Gallery

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Originally published in 1995.
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  10. 10.0 10.1 The summit of Denali is the highest point in North America and the United States of America. The summit of Denali is the third most prominent point on Earth after Mount Everest and Aconcagua.
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  14. The summit of Mount Whitney is the highest point in the contiguous United States.
  15. 15.0 15.1 The Badwater Basin in Death Valley is the lowest point in North America and the United States of America.
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  17. The summit of Mount Elbert is the highest point of the Rocky Mountains of North America.
  18. The Arikaree River at the point where it exits the State of Colorado is the highest state low point of the 50 United States.
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  20. The highest point in the State of Connecticut is the only U.S. state high point that is not a topographic summit.
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  25. The summit of Mauna Kea is the highest point in Oceania. Mauna Kea is also the tallest mountain on Earth as measured from base to summit. The shield volcano sits on the floor of the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 5,998 meters (19,678 ft) for a total height of 10,205.3 meters (33,482 ft)
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  34. The summit of Mount Washington is the highest point on the northeastern Northern American Continent.
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  37. The summit of Mount Mitchell is the highest point on the eastern Northern American Continent.
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  43. The summit of Mount Rainier is the most prominent point in the contiguous United States.
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External links