Cockscomb topographic map

Los Angeles is characterized by a diverse and dynamic topography. The city is predominantly situated in a basin bordered by mountain ranges, including the Santa Monica Mountains to the north and the San Gabriel Mountains to the east, with elevations reaching up to about 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) in certain…

Average elevation: 241 m

San Francisco is characterized by its striking and varied topography, making it one of the most distinctive cities in the United States. The landscape features a mix of rolling hills and steep inclines, with the highest elevation reaching approximately 922 feet at Twin Peaks. The average elevation across the…

Average elevation: 65 m

Average elevation: 65 m

San Diego is characterized by a diverse topography that features coastal plains, rolling hills, and rugged mountain ranges. The city is situated along the Pacific Ocean, where it boasts an extensive shoreline with sandy beaches and tidal zones. As you move inland, the landscape transitions from the flat…

Average elevation: 125 m

The geology of the Yosemite area is characterized by granite rocks and remnants of older rock. About 10 million years ago, the Sierra Nevada was uplifted and tilted to form its unique slopes, which increased the steepness of stream and river beds, resulting in the formation of deep, narrow canyons. About one…

Average elevation: 2,337 m

The topography of San Ramon is varied, featuring a mix of the rolling hills of the Diablo Range and the flatter basin of the San Ramon Valley. The city is predominantly urban and residential with many new housing developments; however, much of the land around the city's perimeter regions remains undeveloped,…

Average elevation: 210 m

San Jose, located in Santa Clara County, California, features a diverse topography characterized by a mix of low-lying plains and rolling hills. The city sits at an average elevation of approximately 82 feet (25 meters) above sea level, with the surrounding terrain including the foothills of the Santa Cruz…

Average elevation: 265 m

Lake Tahoe is renowned for its dramatic topography, characterized by rugged mountain ranges and deep, crystal-clear waters. Nestled in the Sierra Nevada, the lake itself lies at an elevation of approximately 6,225 feet (1,897 meters) and spans about 22 miles (35 kilometers) in length and 12 miles (19…

Average elevation: 2,077 m

Berkeley, located on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, features a diverse topography characterized by rolling hills and steep slopes. The city sits at an elevation that ranges from sea level along the bay to about 1,300 feet (396 meters) in the Berkeley Hills. This hilly landscape provides stunning views…

Average elevation: 109 m

The elevation (City hall) is 224 feet (68 m) above sea level. Elevations vary from the lower northern half once covered in sand dunes to the upper slope southern cove (300–900 feet or 91–274 metres) all the way to the ridgeline at 1,000 feet (300 m). Palm Desert is located in the Coachella Valley, the…

Average elevation: 178 m

Encinitas lies on rugged coastal terrace. The city is bisected by a low-lying coastal ridge that separates New and Old Encinitas. In the north of the city, the coast rises in elevation and the land is raised up in the form of many coastal bluffs. These cliffs are subject to collapsing on the narrow beach. The…

Average elevation: 32 m

Average elevation: 10 m

Average elevation: 111 m

Average elevation: 175 m

San Diego County's topography is marked by its dramatic variety, ranging from coastal plains to mountainous regions. The county stretches along California's southern border, with a coastline that includes sandy beaches, cliffs, and bays, such as the iconic San Diego Bay. Inland, the terrain rises into the…

Average elevation: 544 m

Pacific Palisades was formally founded in 1921 by a Methodist organization, and in the years that followed became a refuge for Jewish artists and intellectuals fleeing the Holocaust. The Palisades would later be sought after by celebrities and other high-profile individuals seeking privacy. It is known for its…

Average elevation: 196 m

Oakland features a diverse topography shaped by its location along the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay and the presence of the nearby coastal hills. The city sits on a flat coastal plain that gradually ascends toward the Oakland Hills to the east, where elevations can exceed 1,700 feet. The highest point…

Average elevation: 51 m

Average elevation: 445 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: 89 m

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.6 square miles (43 km2), of which 10.2 square miles (26 km2) is land and 6.4 square miles (17 km2), or 38.80%, is water. Its elevation is about 6,237 feet (1,901 m) above sea level.

Average elevation: 1,979 m

One possible origin of palm in the place name comes from early Spanish explorers who referred to the area as La Palma de la Mano de Dios or "The Palm of God's hand". The earliest use of the name "Palm Springs" is from United States Topographical Engineers who used the term in 1853 maps. According to William…

Average elevation: 859 m

Average elevation: 66 m

Average elevation: 133 m

Average elevation: 282 m

Davis lies in the Sacramento Valley, the northern portion of the Central Valley, in Northern California, at an elevation of about 52 feet (16 m) above sea level.

Average elevation: 14 m

The area is characterized by a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csb) with cool, rainy winters and warm, dry summers. Because Orinda is located in a hilly area, microclimates often dominate temperature differences in short distances. The Oakland Hills often block the cool foggy…

Average elevation: 246 m

Average elevation: 209 m

The climate in the San Diego area, like much of California, often varies significantly over short geographical distances, resulting in micro-climates. In San Diego's case, this is mainly due to the city's topography (the Bay, and the numerous hills, mountains, and canyons). Frequently, particularly during the…

Average elevation: 171 m

Average elevation: 9 m

Annual rainfall totals are highly variable and in exceptional years like 1940–1941 and 1997–1998 over 40 inches (1.0 m) of rain have fallen in a year, but in dry seasons less than 6 inches (150 mm) is not unheard of. Snow sometimes covers higher elevations of the Santa Ynez Mountains but is extremely rare…

Average elevation: 119 m

Santa Clara County features a diverse and varied topography characterized by both low-lying valleys and rugged mountainous regions. The county encompasses a significant portion of Silicon Valley, where flat, urbanized areas are interspersed with rolling hills and foothills that rise sharply in the Santa Cruz…

Average elevation: 323 m

Average elevation: 1,188 m

Joshua Tree National Park is an American national park in southeastern California, east of San Bernardino and Los Angeles and north of Palm Springs. It is named after the Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) native to the Mojave Desert. Originally declared a national monument in 1936, Joshua Tree was redesignated…

Average elevation: 639 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

Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the point of lowest elevation in North America, at 282 feet (86 m) below sea level. It is 84.6 miles (136.2 km) east-southeast of Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States, with an elevation of 14,505 feet (4,421 m). On the afternoon of July 10, 1913, the…

Average elevation: 1,085 m

Average elevation: 2,641 m

Los Angeles is characterized by a diverse and dynamic topography. The city is predominantly situated in a basin bordered by mountain ranges, including the Santa Monica Mountains to the north and the San Gabriel Mountains to the east, with elevations reaching up to about 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) in certain…

Average elevation: 241 m

San Bernardino features a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa in the Köppen climate classification) with mild winters and hot, dry summers. Relative to other areas in Southern California, winters are colder, with frost and with chilly to cold morning temperatures common. The particularly arid climate during…

Average elevation: 662 m

Average elevation: 387 m

Average elevation: 51 m

Average elevation: 90 m

There are two major valleys in the park, Death Valley and Panamint Valley. Both of these valleys were formed within the last few million years and both are bounded by north–south-trending mountain ranges. These and adjacent valleys follow the general trend of Basin and Range topography with one modification:…

Average elevation: 1,171 m

Ventura County can be separated into two major parts, East County and West County, which are divided by the Conejo Grade. East County consists of all cities east of the Conejo Grade. Geographically East County is the end of the Santa Monica Mountains, in which the Conejo Valley is located, and where there is a…

Average elevation: 331 m

Joshua Tree National Park is an American national park in southeastern California, east of San Bernardino and Los Angeles and north of Palm Springs. It is named after the Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) native to the Mojave Desert. Originally declared a national monument in 1936, Joshua Tree was redesignated…

Average elevation: 639 m

Redwoods prefer sheltered slopes, and they thrive on moist flat ground along rivers below 1,000 feet (300 m) in elevation. Coastal fog provides about 40 percent of their annual water intake. Redwoods have existed along the coast of northern California for at least 20 million years and are related to tree…

Average elevation: 367 m

Oceanside features a diverse topography characterized by its coastal setting and gentle inland elevations. The city is predominantly flat, with its elevation averaging around 66 feet (20 meters) above sea level, allowing for expansive views of the Pacific Ocean along its roughly 3.5 miles of coastline. Inland,…

Average elevation: 32 m

Average elevation: 46 m

Average elevation: 85 m

Annual rainfall totals are highly variable and in exceptional years like 1940–1941 and 1997–1998 over 40 inches (1.0 m) of rain have fallen in a year, but in dry seasons less than 6 inches (150 mm) is not unheard of. Snow sometimes covers higher elevations of the Santa Ynez Mountains but is extremely rare…

Average elevation: 119 m

Prior to mass agricultural and urban development, much of the city consisted of rolling hills bisected by wooded creeks and interspersed with marsh land. Today, the city is located mostly on leveled ground, with some rolling hills and wooded gulches with creeks remaining in the north-eastern Creekbridge and…

Average elevation: 19 m

Average elevation: 380 m

Average elevation: 89 m

Willow Springs Park was founded as a part of the Willow Springs Wetlands Restoration Project which opened in October 2017. The project restored 11 acres of a 48-acre degraded oil well site into wetlands. These highlight the pivotal role the ecosystem played in the City of Long Beach’s establishment in the…

Average elevation: 12 m

Laguna Niguel consists of mostly hilly terrain, being located within the San Joaquin Hills. The average elevation is 400 feet (120 m); elevations range from near sea level to 936 feet (285 m) at the summit of Niguel Hill, in the southwest corner of the city. Neighboring cities are Aliso Viejo and Laguna Hills…

Average elevation: 110 m

The elevation in Redding is 495 feet (151 meters) on average, whereas anywhere to the north, east, or west of downtown ranges between 550 feet (170 m) and 800 feet (240 m) feet. Southern portions range between 400 feet (120 m) and 500 feet (150 m).

Average elevation: 240 m

Eureka, located along Humboldt Bay in Northern California, has a diverse and varied topography. The city itself is situated at relatively low elevations, with the bay’s narrow point serving as a key feature in the landscape. Its average elevation is around 50 feet (15 meters), and the terrain gently rises…

Average elevation: 16 m

Average elevation: 69 m

Many park visitors enter Sequoia National Park through its southern entrance near the town of Three Rivers at Ash Mountain at 1,700 ft (520 m) elevation. The lower elevations around Ash Mountain contain the only National Park Service-protected California Foothills ecosystem, consisting of blue oak woodlands,…

Average elevation: 2,515 m

San Rafael has a wide diversity of natural habitats from forests at the higher elevations to marshland and estuarine settings. Its marshes are home to the endangered species salt marsh harvest mouse. There are also riparian areas including the San Rafael Creek and Miller Creek corridors.

Average elevation: 78 m

Paradise lies within the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, at an elevation that varies between 900 and 2,300 feet (275 to 700 meters) above sea level. The town is perched on a broad ridge, with steep canyons on either side—these are carved by the Feather River to the east and Butte Creek to the…

Average elevation: 464 m

An altitude record for unmanned gas balloons was set in Chico in October 1972 (51.8 km or 32.2 mi). The record was broken on May 23, 2002.

Average elevation: 95 m

Average elevation: 97 m

Most of Bakersfield's major streets are six-lane divided roads with bike lanes, with almost every street in the city having proper lane signage for bicycle traffic. Bikes are a popular method of transportation in Bakersfield, due to the city's relatively flat topography and grid-like street system. Newer…

Average elevation: 157 m

An obscure portion of the Angeles Crest Highway (SR 2) in the San Gabriel Mountains cuts through Pasadena near the Angeles Crest Ranger Station. This 2-mile (3.2 km) stretch of highway in the Angeles National Forest is north of La Cañada Flintridge and west of Mount Wilson and is approximately 3,000 feet (910…

Average elevation: 548 m

Average elevation: 112 m

Escondido has a borderline semi-arid climate (Köppen: Bsh) and hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa) with hot summers and cool wet winters. Owing to its inland setting it is considerably warmer than coastal cities like San Diego, Carlsbad or Oceanside during the summertime, and cooler in the winter.…

Average elevation: 273 m

Newport Beach, located in Orange County, California, features a dynamic and varied topography shaped by its coastal position and surrounding hills. The city spans from sea level along its beaches to elevations of over 1,100 feet (335 meters) in the nearby San Joaquin Hills. These hills, particularly noticeable…

Average elevation: 14 m

Average elevation: 21 m

Average elevation: 52 m

Average elevation: 184 m

Napa is warmer in the summer than Sonoma County, to the west, or Santa Barbara County, a wine-producing county in southern California. Thus, the Napa wineries favor varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, while Pinot noir and Chardonnay are more the specialty of Sonoma and Santa Barbara wineries. At the north…

Average elevation: 232 m

Many park visitors enter Sequoia National Park through its southern entrance near the town of Three Rivers at Ash Mountain at 1,700 ft (520 m) elevation. The lower elevations around Ash Mountain contain the only National Park Service-protected California Foothills ecosystem, consisting of blue oak woodlands,…

Average elevation: 2,515 m

Amador County ranges in elevation from approximately 250 feet (76 m) in the western portion of the county to over 9,000 feet (2,700 m) in the eastern portion of the county, the tallest point being Thunder Mountain. The county is bordered on the north by the Cosumnes River and El Dorado County and on the south…

Average elevation: 896 m

Tehachapi (/təˈhætʃəpi/ (listen); Kawaiisu: Tihachipia, meaning "hard climb") is a city in Kern County, California, United States, in the Tehachapi Mountains, at an elevation of 3,970 feet (1,210 m), between the San Joaquin Valley and the Mojave Desert. Tehachapi is 35 miles (56 km) east-southeast of…

Average elevation: 1,414 m

Average elevation: 84 m

Average elevation: 1,193 m

The official elevation of the city is 1,207 feet (368 m), the elevation of the historic Newhall Airport which was northwest of Via Princessa and Railroad Avenue from the 1930s through the 1950s. Elevation varies substantially throughout the city. The lowest point in Santa Clarita is near the junction of CA-126…

Average elevation: 514 m

Average elevation: 111 m

Average elevation: 219 m

Walnut Creek's warm summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csb) is typical of California's interior valleys. In summer, high pressure results in almost unbroken sunshine and virtually no precipitation. Days start out cool but quickly warm up, with high temperatures normally in the 80s…

Average elevation: 119 m

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,426 square miles (3,690 km2), of which 1,391 square miles (3,600 km2) is land and 35 square miles (91 km2), comprising 2.5%, is water. The county has a very low inland elevation and a very flat drainage basin for the San Joaquin River and…

Average elevation: 96 m

Whittier is about 15 miles (24 km) inland of the Pacific Ocean, resulting in higher daytime temperatures, and since it lies at a higher elevation than the cities further west, cold air drains into the lower elevation of the Los Angeles Basin which results in warmer night-time lows, producing an example of…

Average elevation: 115 m

The official elevation of the city is 1,207 feet (368 m), the elevation of the historic Newhall Airport which was northwest of Via Princessa and Railroad Avenue from the 1930s through the 1950s. Elevation varies substantially throughout the city. The lowest point in Santa Clarita is near the junction of CA-126…

Average elevation: 514 m

In 1866, Oakland's private College of California looked for a new site. It settled on a location north of Oakland along the foot of the Contra Costa Range (later called the Berkeley Hills) on Strawberry Creek, at an elevation of about 500 feet (150 m) above the bay, commanding a view of the Bay Area and the…

Average elevation: 109 m

Sonoma County, as is often the case with coastal counties in California, has a great degree of climatic variation and numerous, often very different, microclimates. Key determining factors for local climate are proximity to the ocean, elevation, and the presence and elevation of hills or mountains to the east…

Average elevation: 210 m

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 994 square miles (2,570 km2), of which 965 square miles (2,500 km2) is land and 29 square miles (75 km2) (3.0%) is water. Most of the county is at an elevation close to sea level, with some areas below sea level. The highest point in the…

Average elevation: 62 m

Nordhoff Ridge, the western extension of the Topatopa Mountains, towers over the north side of the valley at more than 5,000 feet (1,500 m). Sulphur Mountain creates the southern ranges bounding the Ojai Valley, a little under 3,000 feet (910 m) in elevation. The Sulphur and Topatopa mountains are part of the…

Average elevation: 289 m

Catalina is primarily composed of two distinct rock units: Catalina Schist from the Early Cretaceous (95 to 109 million years ago), and Miocene volcanic and intrusive igneous rocks. The island is rich in quartz, to the extent that some beaches on the seaward side have silvery-grey sand. These formations…

Average elevation: 60 m

The geology of the Yosemite area is characterized by granite rocks and remnants of older rock. About 10 million years ago, the Sierra Nevada was uplifted and tilted to form its unique slopes, which increased the steepness of stream and river beds, resulting in the formation of deep, narrow canyons. About one…

Average elevation: 2,337 m

Average elevation: 275 m

Average elevation: 763 m

Kings Canyon is characterized by some of the steepest vertical relief in North America, with numerous peaks over 14,000 feet (4,300 m) on the Sierra Crest along the park's eastern border, falling to 4,500 feet (1,400 m) in the valley floor of Cedar Grove just ten miles (16 km) to the west. The Sierran crest…

Average elevation: 2,591 m

Average elevation: 24 m

Several golf courses are located within or straddle the border with San Francisco. The Olympic Club has hosted the USGA U.S. Open five times, most recently in 2012, and will host both the 2028 PGA Championship and the 2032 Ryder Cup. The private San Francisco Golf Club and Lake Merced Golf Club have part or…

Average elevation: 75 m

Average elevation: 82 m

During winter, snow occasionally falls in the higher elevations of the Santa Lucia Mountains and Gabilan Mountains that overlook Monterey, but snow in Monterey itself is extremely rare. A few unusual events in January 1962, February 1976, and December 1997 brought a light coating of snow to Monterey. In March…

Average elevation: 50 m

Average elevation: 770 m

Sonoma County, as is often the case with coastal counties in California, has a great degree of climatic variation and numerous, often very different, microclimates. Key determining factors for local climate are proximity to the ocean, elevation, and the presence and elevation of hills or mountains to the east…

Average elevation: 210 m

Average elevation: 23 m