Elevation Profile — See What’s Coming

Distance Map shows the elevation profile of any route you measure. See total ascent, total descent and the altitude at every point along the way. If a route looks flat on the map but climbs 800m hidden behind trees, the profile tells you before you go.

What the Elevation Profile Shows

• Total elevation gain — how much climbing across the whole route
• Total elevation loss — how much descent
• Highest point and lowest point
• Altitude at any point — tap the profile to see elevation at that spot
• Gradient — steepness of each section

When Elevation Matters

Hiking

A 10km hike with 1,200m of climbing is a different day out than a 10km walk on flat ground. The elevation profile turns raw distance into real effort.

Cycling

Hill climbs dominate cycling effort. Knowing total ascent helps you plan pace, food and whether you’ve got the right gearing.

Running

Trail runners and fell runners use elevation to estimate finish time much more accurately than distance alone.

Driving in Mountains

Mountain passes can have surprising climbs even on seemingly short routes. Check elevation before committing to a pass in winter conditions.

Altitude at Any Point

Beyond full routes, Distance Map can show the altitude of any single point you drop on the map. Useful for:

• Checking altitude of a destination (campsite, summit, lookout)
• Comparing altitude of two places (where’s higher?)
• Planning above-treeline sections of a hike

This works without a data connection for stored terrain data, and with data for live queries.

Works with GPX Files

Drop a GPX file into Distance Map and the elevation profile is extracted automatically — both from the embedded elevation data (if present) and from global terrain data (if needed).

Great for reviewing:

• Routes downloaded from Strava, Komoot or AllTrails
• Tracks recorded on a Garmin watch
• Routes shared by a friend before you commit to them

Elevation Data Sources

Elevation data comes from global terrain models. Accuracy is typically within a few meters for unobstructed terrain. For recorded GPS tracks with their own elevation values, the embedded data is used in preference.

Try It

View elevation on any route with the Distance Map iOS app.

Get Distance Tool

Download Distance Tool for iOS and start measuring in seconds.