Merced County topographic map

The San Francisco Bay Area is characterized by a diverse and dynamic topography shaped by geological processes over millions of years. This region features a combination of coastal plains, steep hills, and rugged mountains, all influenced by the tectonic activity associated with the nearby San Andreas Fault…

Average elevation: 113 m

Cajon Pass (/kəˈhoʊn/; Spanish: Puerto del Cajón or Paso del Cajón) is a mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains to the east and the San Gabriel Mountains to the west in Southern California. Created by the movements of the San Andreas Fault, it has an elevation of 3,777 ft (1,151 m). Located in…

Average elevation: 1,169 m

The Santa Cruz Mountains are a region of great biological diversity, encompassing cool, moist coastal ecosystems as well as warm, dry chaparral. Much of the area in the Santa Cruz mountains is considered temperate rainforest. In valleys and moist ocean-facing slopes some of the southernmost coast redwoods…

Average elevation: 230 m

Average elevation: 3,888 m

Average elevation: 3,888 m

Average elevation: 201 m

The Berkeley Hills are bounded by the major Hayward Fault along their western base, and the minor Wildcat fault on their eastern side. The highest peaks are Grizzly Peak with an elevation of 1,754 feet (535 m) and Round Top, an extinct volcano with an elevation of 1,761 feet (537 m) and William Rust Summit at…

Average elevation: 158 m

In January 2006, Ramona Valley was designated the country's 162nd American Viticultural Area (AVA) by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which recognized the area for its distinctive microclimate, elevation, and soil attributes.

Average elevation: 469 m

Average elevation: 43 m

Average elevation: 521 m

"MURPHY'S CAMP is a curious old mining-town in Calaveras County, at an elevation of 2,400 feet (730 m) above the sea, situated like a nest in the center of a rough, gravelly region, rich in gold. Granites, slates, lavas, limestone, iron ores, quartz veins, auriferous gravels, remnants of dead fire-rivers and…

Average elevation: 702 m

Average elevation: 55 m

The topography of the sea floor surrounding Crescent City has the effect of focusing tsunamis. According to researchers at Humboldt State University and the University of Southern California, the city experienced tsunami conditions 31 times between the years 1933 and 2008. Although many of these incidents were…

Average elevation: 31 m

Average elevation: 230 m

Average elevation: 2,831 m

Mount Shasta (/ˈʃæstə/ SHASS-tə; Shasta: Waka-nunee-Tuki-wuki; Karuk: Úytaahkoo) is a potentially active volcano at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California. At an elevation of 14,179 feet (4,321.8 meters), it is the second-highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth-highest in…

Average elevation: 3,717 m

Average elevation: 35 m

Average elevation: 1,234 m

Average elevation: 1,298 m

In the 1860s, San Franciscans began to feel the need for a spacious public park similar to Central Park, which was then taking shape in New York City. Golden Gate Park was carved out of unpromising sand and shore dunes that were known as the Outside Lands, in an unincorporated area west of San Francisco's…

Average elevation: 71 m

Twain Harte is situated in Tuolumne County along Highway 108 at an elevation of 3,640 feet (1,110 m).

Average elevation: 1,123 m

The elevation of the reservoir is 1,043 ft (318 m), and the elevation of the dam spillway is 1,055 ft (322 m). The dam is owned and operated by the United Water Conservation District based in nearby Santa Paula, California. The district is a multi-service district providing flood control, recreation services,…

Average elevation: 375 m

Average elevation: 2,211 m

Average elevation: 106 m

Average elevation: 785 m

Average elevation: 2,397 m

Average elevation: 987 m

Average elevation: 375 m

Average elevation: 743 m

The Half Dome Cable Route hike runs from the valley floor to the top of the dome in 8.2 mi (13 km) (via the Mist Trail), with 4,800 ft (1,460 m) of elevation gain. The length and difficulty of the trail used to keep it less crowded than other park trails, but in recent years the trail traffic has grown to as…

Average elevation: 1,887 m

Average elevation: 367 m

Average elevation: 1,370 m

Average elevation: 897 m

Average elevation: 2,163 m

It is the fourteenth most topographically prominent peak in the contiguous United States. White Mountain Peak is one of only two fourteeners (peaks above 14,000 feet) in California that are not in the Sierra Nevada, the other being Mount Shasta at the far northern end of the state in the Cascade Range. It is…

Average elevation: 3,880 m

Crowley Lake is a census-designated place in Mono County, California. Crowley Lake sits at an elevation of 6,939 feet (2,115 m). The 2020 United States census reported Crowley Lake's population was 980.

Average elevation: 2,251 m

Average elevation: 1 m

Average elevation: 65 m

Average elevation: 424 m

Average elevation: 1,101 m

Donner Peak is an 8,019-foot-elevation (2,444-meter) summit in Placer County, California, United States.

Average elevation: 2,171 m

Average elevation: 102 m

Mount Shasta (Shasta: Waka-nunee-Tuki-wuki; Karuk: Úytaahkoo) is a potentially active volcano at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California. At an elevation of 14,179 feet (4,321.8 meters), it is the second-highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth-highest in the state. Mount Shasta…

Average elevation: 3,717 m

Average elevation: 1,127 m

Average elevation: 1,390 m

Average elevation: 57 m

Average elevation: 1,709 m

Average elevation: 60 m

Average elevation: 1,302 m

Average elevation: 1,473 m

Oakhurst is located on the Fresno River 3 miles (5 km) south-southwest of Yosemite Forks, at an elevation of 2,274 feet (693 m). Its coordinates are 37°19′41″N 119°38′58″W / 37.32806°N 119.64944°W / 37.32806; -119.64944. It is located at the junction of state highways 41 and 49, at the…

Average elevation: 837 m

Average elevation: 574 m

Meyers (also Yanks, Yank's Station, and Tahoe Paradise) is a small an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in El Dorado County, California, United States, along U.S. Route 50 in the northern Sierra Nevada. It is 6 miles (10 km) south of South Lake Tahoe in the Lake Tahoe area and lies at…

Average elevation: 1,995 m

The beach is less than 0.5 miles (0.8 km) long and sheltered in San Luis Bay, which is formed by Point San Luis on the west and Fossil Point on the east. Avila Beach faces south and the 600 foot elevation of Point San Luis breaks the prevailing northwesterly winds. It is therefore usually warmer than the other…

Average elevation: 46 m

Average elevation: 604 m

Average elevation: 1,565 m

Average elevation: 504 m

Average elevation: 23 m

Average elevation: 2 m

Average elevation: 1,986 m

Average elevation: 683 m

Average elevation: 42 m

El Dorado Hills (EDH), as defined by the 2010 census-designated place (CDP), is at the western border of El Dorado County, between the City of Folsom and the unincorporated community of Cameron Park. The northern limits of the CDP are Folsom Lake and the South Fork of the American River, where river rafters…

Average elevation: 254 m

Average elevation: 1,621 m

Average elevation: 742 m

Average elevation: 947 m

Average elevation: 772 m

Comptche (Pomo: Compatche, meaning "In the valley among the hills") is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Mendocino County, California, United States. It is located 17 miles (27 km) southeast of Fort Bragg at an elevation of 187 feet (57 m). The population was 167 at the 2020…

Average elevation: 134 m

Average elevation: 1,171 m

Average elevation: 1,379 m

Average elevation: 1,003 m

Average elevation: 187 m

Average elevation: 1,218 m

Average elevation: 250 m

Average elevation: 941 m

Average elevation: 800 m

Swall Meadows sits partway up the Sherwin Grade below the Wheeler Crest of the eastern Sierra Nevada, at an elevation range of approximately 6,000 to 7,000 feet (1,800 to 2,100 m). It is in pinon-juniper/subalpine zone habitat, with views south along the Sierra Crest of Mt. Tom, and east across the Owens…

Average elevation: 2,086 m

Average elevation: 2,552 m

Average elevation: 101 m

Average elevation: 111 m

Average elevation: 2,188 m

Average elevation: 33 m

Average elevation: 322 m

Average elevation: 246 m

Average elevation: 1,977 m

Average elevation: 1,460 m

Average elevation: 189 m

Diamond Springs (formerly, Diamond Spring and Diamond) is a census-designated place (CDP) in El Dorado County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 11,037 at the 2010 census, up from 4,888 at the 2000 census. The…

Average elevation: 542 m

Average elevation: 950 m

Average elevation: 1,334 m

Hilmar is an unincorporated community in Merced County, California, United States. It is located 4.25 miles (6.8 km) west-southwest of Delhi, spanning 3.9 sq mi (10 km2) and at an elevation of 92 ft (28 m) above sea level. For census purposes, Hilmar is aggregated with a nearby community into the Hilmar-Irwin…

Average elevation: 30 m

Markleeville hosts an annual bicycle ride called the Death Ride - Tour of the California Alps. The route goes over five passes for a total distance of 129 miles and over 15,000 feet of elevation gain. In 2010 3,500 riders participated and 2,417 completed the full course of 5 mountain passes.

Average elevation: 1,788 m

Bodie (/ˈboʊdiː/ BOH-dee) is a ghost town in the Bodie Hills east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Mono County, California, United States. It is about 75 miles (121 km) southeast of Lake Tahoe, and 12 mi (19 km) east-southeast of Bridgeport, at an elevation of 8,379 feet (2554 m). Bodie became a boom…

Average elevation: 2,627 m

Average elevation: 7 m

Average elevation: 45 m

Average elevation: 1,043 m

Average elevation: 8 m

Average elevation: 12 m

Average elevation: 194 m

Average elevation: 1,043 m