List of U.S. states by elevation

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
State | Highest point | Highest elevation | Lowest point | Lowest elevation | Mean elevation | Elevation span |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama | Cheaha Mountain[9] | 736 m |
2,413 ftGulf of Mexico | sea level | 150 m |
500 ft736 m |
2,413 ft
Alaska | Denali[10] | 6190.5 m |
20,310 ftGulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, and Arctic Ocean | sea level | 580 m |
1,900 ft6190.5 m |
20,310 ft
Arizona | Humphreys Peak[11] | 3852 m |
12,637 ftColorado River at Sonora border, San Luis, Arizona | 22 m |
72 ft1250 m |
4,100 ft3830 m |
12,565 ft
Arkansas | Mount Magazine[12] | 839 m |
2,753 ftOuachita River at Louisiana border | 17 m |
55 ft200 m |
650 ft822 m |
2,698 ft
California | Mount Whitney[13][14] | 4421.0 m |
14,505 ftBadwater Basin in Death Valley[1][2][15] | −279 ft −85 m |
880 m |
2,900 ft4506 m |
14,783 ft
Colorado | Mount Elbert[16][17] | 4401.2 m |
14,440 ftArikaree River at Kansas border[18][19] | 1011 m |
3,317 ft2070 m |
6,800 ft3390 m |
11,123 ft
Connecticut | Massachusetts border on south side of Mount Frissell[20] | 725 m |
2,379 ftLong Island Sound | sea level | 150 m |
500 ft725 m |
2,379 ft
Delaware | Near the Ebright Azimuth[21][22] | 136 m |
447 ftAtlantic Ocean | sea level | 20 m |
60 ft136 m |
447 ft
District of Columbia | Fort Reno[23] | 125 m |
409 ftPotomac River at eastern Maryland border | 0.3 m |
1.0 ft50 m |
150 ft124 m |
408 ft
Florida | Britton Hill | 105 m |
345 ftAtlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico | sea level | 30 m |
100 ft105 m |
345 ft
Georgia | Brasstown Bald | 1458 m |
4,784 ftAtlantic Ocean | sea level | 180 m |
600 ft1458 m |
4,784 ft
Hawaiʻi | Mauna Kea[24][25] on the Island of Hawaiʻi | 4207 m |
13,803 ftPacific Ocean | sea level | 920 m |
3,030 ft4207 m |
13,803 ft
Idaho | Borah Peak[26] | 3861 m |
12,668 ftConfluence of Snake River and Clearwater River | 217 m |
713 ft1520 m |
5,000 ft3644 m |
11,954 ft
Illinois | Charles Mound[27] | 376 m |
1,235 ftConfluence of Mississippi River and Ohio River | 85 m |
280 ft180 m |
600 ft291 m |
955 ft
Indiana | Hoosier Hill | 383 m |
1,257 ftConfluence of Ohio River and Wabash River | 97 m |
320 ft210 m |
700 ft286 m |
937 ft
Iowa | Hawkeye Point | 509 m |
1,671 ftConfluence of Mississippi River and Des Moines River | 146 m |
480 ft340 m |
1,100 ft363 m |
1,191 ft
Kansas | Mount Sunflower | 1232 m |
4,041 ftVerdigris River at Oklahoma border | 207 m |
679 ft610 m |
2,000 ft1025 m |
3,361 ft
Kentucky | Black Mountain | 1263 m |
4,145 ftMississippi River at Kentucky Bend | 78 m |
257 ft230 m |
750 ft1185 m |
3,887 ft
Louisiana | Driskill Mountain | 163 m |
535 ftNew Orleans | −8 ft −2.4 m |
30 m |
100 ft165 m |
543 ft
Maine | Mount Katahdin[28] | 1606.4 m |
5,270 ftAtlantic Ocean | sea level | 180 m |
600 ft1606.4 m |
5,270 ft
Maryland | Hoye-Crest | 1024 m |
3,360 ftAtlantic Ocean | sea level | 110 m |
350 ft1024 m |
3,360 ft
Massachusetts | Mount Greylock[29] | 1064 m |
3,491 ftAtlantic Ocean | sea level | 150 m |
500 ft1064 m |
3,491 ft
Michigan | Mount Arvon | 603 m |
1,979 ftLake Erie | 174 m |
571 ft270 m |
900 ft429 m |
1,408 ft
Minnesota | Eagle Mountain | 701 m |
2,302 ftLake Superior | 183 m |
601 ft370 m |
1,200 ft518 m |
1,700 ft
Mississippi | Woodall Mountain[30] | 246 m |
807 ftGulf of Mexico | sea level | 90 m |
300 ft246 m |
807 ft
Missouri | Taum Sauk Mountain | 540 m |
1,772 ftSaint Francis River at southern Arkansas border | 70 m |
230 ft240 m |
800 ft470 m |
1,542 ft
Montana | Granite Peak[31] | 3903.5 m |
12,807 ftKootenai River at Idaho border | 550 m |
1,804 ft1040 m |
3,400 ft3354 m |
11,003 ft
Nebraska | Panorama Point | 1654 m |
5,427 ftMissouri River at Kansas border | 256 m |
840 ft790 m |
2,600 ft1398 m |
4,587 ft
Nevada | Boundary Peak[32] | 4007 m |
13,147 ftColorado River at California border | 147 m |
481 ft1680 m |
5,500 ft3860 m |
12,665 ft
New Hampshire | Mount Washington[33][34] | 1917 m |
6,288 ftAtlantic Ocean | sea level | 300 m |
1,000 ft1917 m |
6,288 ft
New Jersey | High Point | 550 m |
1,803 ftAtlantic Ocean | sea level | 80 m |
250 ft550 m |
1,803 ft
New Mexico | Wheeler Peak[35] | 4013.3 m |
13,167 ftRed Bluff Reservoir on Texas border | 867 m |
2,844 ft1740 m |
5,700 ft3147 m |
10,323 ft
New York | Mount Marcy[36] | 1628.57 m |
5,343 ftAtlantic Ocean | sea level | 300 m |
1,000 ft1628.57 m |
5,343 ft
North Carolina | Mount Mitchell[37] | 2037 m |
6,684 ftAtlantic Ocean | sea level | 210 m |
700 ft2037 m |
6,684 ft
North Dakota | White Butte | 1069 m |
3,508 ftRed River of the North at Manitoba border | 229 m |
751 ft580 m |
1,900 ft840 m |
2,757 ft
Ohio | Campbell Hill | 472 m |
1,549 ftOhio River at Indiana border | 139 m |
455 ft260 m |
850 ft333 m |
1,094 ft
Oklahoma | Black Mesa | 1516 m |
4,975 ftLittle River at Arkansas border | 88 m |
289 ft400 m |
1,300 ft1428 m |
4,686 ft
Oregon | Mount Hood[38] | 3428.8 m |
11,249 ftPacific Ocean | sea level | 1010 m |
3,300 ft3428.8 m |
11,249 ft
Pennsylvania | Mount Davis | 979 m |
3,213 ftDelaware River at Delaware border | sea level | 340 m |
1,100 ft979 m |
3,213 ft
Rhode Island | Jerimoth Hill | 247 m |
811 ftAtlantic Ocean | sea level | 60 m |
200 ft247 m |
811 ft
South Carolina | Sassafras Mountain | 1085 m |
3,560 ftAtlantic Ocean | sea level | 110 m |
350 ft1085 m |
3,560 ft
South Dakota | Harney Peak[39] | 2208 m |
7,244 ftBig Stone Lake on Minnesota border | 295 m |
968 ft670 m |
2,200 ft1913 m |
6,276 ft
Tennessee | Clingmans Dome | 2025 m |
6,643 ftMississippi River at Mississippi border | 54 m |
178 ft270 m |
900 ft1971 m |
6,466 ft
Texas | Guadalupe Peak[40] | 2667 m |
8,751 ftGulf of Mexico | sea level | 520 m |
1,700 ft2667 m |
8,751 ft
Utah | Kings Peak[41] | 4125 m |
13,534 ftBeaver Dam Wash at Arizona border | 664 m |
2,180 ft1860 m |
6,100 ft3461 m |
11,354 ft
Vermont | Mount Mansfield[42] | 1340 m |
4,395 ftLake Champlain | 29 m |
95 ft300 m |
1,000 ft1311 m |
4,300 ft
Virginia | Mount Rogers | 1746 m |
5,729 ftAtlantic Ocean | sea level | 290 m |
950 ft1746 m |
5,729 ft
Washington | Mount Rainier[43] | 4394 m |
14,417 ftPacific Ocean | sea level | 520 m |
1,700 ft4394 m |
14,417 ft
West Virginia | Spruce Knob[44] | 1482.1 m |
4,863 ftPotomac River at Virginia border | 73 m |
240 ft460 m |
1,500 ft1409 m |
4,623 ft
Wisconsin | Timms Hill | 595 m |
1,951 ftLake Michigan | 176 m |
579 ft320 m |
1,050 ft418 m |
1,372 ft
Wyoming | Gannett Peak[45] | 4209.1 m |
13,809 ftBelle Fourche River at South Dakota border | 945 m |
3,101 ft2040 m |
6,700 ft3264 m |
10,709 ft
United States | Denali,[10] Alaska | 6190.5 m |
20,310 ftBadwater Basin,[15] California | −279 ft −85 m |
760 m |
2,500 ft6275.5 m |
20,589 ft
Gallery
-
Denali in Alaska is the highest summit of the United States and North America.
-
Mount Whitney in California is the highest summit of the Sierra Nevada and the contiguous United States.
-
Mount Elbert in Colorado is the highest summit of the Rocky Mountains.
-
Mount Rainier in Washington is the highest summit of the Cascade Range and the most prominent summit of the contiguous United States.
-
Gannett Peak in Wyoming is the highest summit of the Central Rocky Mountains and the highest peak of the Rocky Mountains outside of Colorado.
-
Mauna Kea on the Island of Hawaiʻi is the highest summit in the Pacific Ocean and the tallest mountain on Earth as measured from base to summit.
-
Kings Peak in Utah is the highest summit of the Western Rocky Mountains.
-
Harney Peak in South Dakota is the highest summit in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains.
-
Mount Mitchell in North Carolina is the highest summit on the eastern North American Continent.
-
Mount Washington in New Hampshire is the highest summit in the northeastern United States.
-
Mount Katahdin in Maine is the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.
-
Lake Michigan is the lowest area of the State of Wisconsin.
-
Britton Hill in Florida is the lowest state high point in the United States.
-
Lake Champlain is the lowest area of the State of Vermont.
-
The Badwater Basin of Death Valley in California is the lowest point in the United States and North America.
See also
- List of elevation extremes by country
- List of elevation extremes by region
- United States
- World Geodetic System
References
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External links
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Originally published in 1995.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ The summit of Mount Whitney is the highest point in the contiguous United States.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 The Badwater Basin in Death Valley is the lowest point in North America and the United States of America.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ The summit of Mount Elbert is the highest point of the Rocky Mountains of North America.
- ↑ The Arikaree River at the point where it exits the State of Colorado is the highest state low point of the 50 United States.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ The highest point in the State of Connecticut is the only U.S. state high point that is not a topographic summit.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ 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)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ The summit of Mount Washington is the highest point on the northeastern Northern American Continent.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ The summit of Mount Mitchell is the highest point on the eastern Northern American Continent.
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- ↑ The summit of Mount Rainier is the most prominent point in the contiguous United States.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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