About this elevation profile tool
The CityLabMap Elevation Profile Tool lets users draw a route on an interactive map and calculate distance, maximum elevation, minimum elevation, and total elevation gain. The profile chart helps compare climbs, descents, and terrain changes along the selected path.
Users can search for a starting point, draw a route with the map drawing tool, switch between terrain, standard, and satellite map styles, and read the slope of every stretch on the profile chart. The tool limits routes to 500 kilometers to keep elevation sampling responsive and reliable.
This page is useful for hiking preparation, cycling route checks, trail planning, geography education, and quickly estimating whether a path crosses steep terrain before sharing the route.
How to make an elevation profile
- Search for your start point, or pan the map to it.
- Click along your route to add points. Choose Follow trails or Bike roads to snap the line to real paths between your clicks.
- Drag points to fine-tune; drag the small dots between points to add a bend; right-click a point to remove it.
- Read the stats, then hover over the profile to see each spot on the map.
- Copy a link to share the route — it is also saved in your browser for next time.
Already have a recorded track? Use Import GPX track to see its profile.
How elevation gain is calculated
Elevation gain is the sum of every climb along the route, and descent is the sum of every drop, so a loop that starts and ends at the same place still shows the effort in between. The tool samples up to 1,000 evenly spaced points, smooths them very lightly, and ignores wiggles under two meters so noise in the terrain data does not inflate the total. GPS watches and other apps use slightly different filters, which is why their totals rarely match exactly.
Reading slope and grade
Grade is the rise divided by the distance, as a percentage: a 10% grade climbs 10 m every 100 m. The profile and route are colored by grade measured over roughly 100 m stretches:
- Under 3% — flat to gentle; easy walking and riding.
- 3–6% — moderate; a steady climb on a bike.
- 6–10% — steep for cycling, noticeable on foot.
- 10–15% — very steep road; hard hiking.
- 15–25% — trail-steep; many riders walk.
- Over 25% — scrambling territory.
Hiking time estimate
Hiking time uses Naismith's rule: one hour for every 5 km of distance, plus one hour for every 600 m of ascent. It suits fit walkers on good paths; add time for breaks, rough ground, heavy packs and group pace.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the elevations come from?
From Terrain Tiles, an open global elevation dataset on AWS Open Data that merges sources such as SRTM, GMTED2010 and ETOPO1. The tiles are read directly in your browser. Detail is highest on short routes; on very long routes points are spaced further apart, so short, sharp climbs can be smoothed out.
Can I view the elevation profile of a GPX file?
Yes. Import a GPX track or route and the profile is measured from the same terrain model as drawn routes, so different files can be compared fairly.
Why is there a 500 km limit?
Longer routes need so many terrain tiles that the profile becomes slow to load in a browser. Split very long journeys into stages.
Is my route stored anywhere?
No account is needed and nothing is uploaded to CityLabMap. Your route is kept only in your own browser so it is still there when you come back.