Earth · Terrain

Topo — Elevation Profile Tool

Topo turns a straight line on a world map into the terrain beneath it: click two points and get the elevation profile between them — heights above sea level, heights relative to your start point, total climb and descent, steepest grade. Free, no account, no tracking.

How it works

Click a start point A and an end point B anywhere on Earth. Topo samples 100 points along the true great-circle path between them and reads each one from the Copernicus GLO-90 digital elevation model, then draws the profile in hypsometric tints — the same color convention printed atlases use, teal below the sea through greens and tans to snow at altitude. Hover the chart and a marker glides along the line on the map; drag an endpoint and the profile redraws. Every line has a shareable link, and the raw samples export to CSV.

Two ways to read a height

Every point shows both readings at once: its height above sea level, and its height relative to the line's origin A — so terrain that drops below your starting point reads as a signed negative number. Draw from the Dead Sea shore and the whole profile starts at −427 m.

Famous lines to try

One click each: Death Valley to Mount Whitney (the lowest and highest points of the contiguous US, 135 km apart), the Dead Sea up to Jerusalem, Everest Base Camp to the summit, the Grand Canyon rim to rim, Hilo to the summit of Mauna Kea, and Chamonix to Mont Blanc.

FAQ

How do I find the elevation between two points on a map?

Open Topo, click a start point and an end point anywhere on the world map, and the elevation profile of the terrain between them draws instantly — sampled at 100 points along the true great-circle path, with total climb, descent, and steepest grade.

Is Topo free?

Yes. Topo is free to use in your browser, with no account, no signup, and no tracking.

What elevation data does Topo use?

Topo reads the Copernicus GLO-90 digital elevation model — the European Space Agency's global 90-meter-resolution terrain survey — served live by the Open-Meteo elevation API.

Does Topo show elevations below sea level?

Yes. Below-sea-level terrain is real data — the Dead Sea shore reads −427 m. Topo also shows every height relative to your line's start point, so descents below your origin read as negative numbers.

How accurate is the elevation profile?

The underlying model has 90-meter horizontal resolution, so profiles are accurate for landscape-scale reading — mountains, valleys, passes, canyons. Features narrower than about 90 m, such as individual buildings or small gullies, are below its resolution.