Learn how to discover and examine elevation on Google Maps

As soon as, when planning a highway journey, a trek, and even testing precisely the place your vacation spot was, you had to make use of these pesky, non-interactive maps – thankfully, not anymore. On-line maps – and particularly Google Maps – got here round and adjusted the panorama fully, making navigation a lot simpler and extra handy, and enabling tons of nice options that bodily maps had been merely incapable of offering – corresponding to Street View.

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Google Maps is beneficial not solely on your on a regular basis commute – it’s additionally an important device when roaming round within the wilderness, or planning your longer hikes. One of the crucial vital components when testing the path on your stroll is how excessive you’ll be climbing – it’s vital to have correct gear and coaching, and modifications in elevation are some of the difficult components of each hike.

Thankfully, Google Maps lets you simply take a look at these elevation metrics, making such plans that a lot simpler. After all, you’ll be able to examine elevation not solely on the mountain path – you can even simply get curious and go searching your neighborhood, your childhood house or your favourite retailer, simply to sate your curiosity. Right here’s the way to discover elevation information on Google Maps – whether or not you’re utilizing a cellular or a desktop model.

Learn how to discover elevation on Google Maps on a desktop

When planning your hikes and strolling journeys, you’d in all probability be utilizing a desktop – the display screen is greater, and it’s a lot simpler to make use of if you want exact controls and also you’re coping with detailed maps. Thankfully, Google Maps – together with its many options, corresponding to elevation markers – are simply accessible on a desktop, so that you don’t want to fret about getting misplaced in a labyrinth of settings. Right here’s the way to discover elevation in your desktop – be it a Mac, PC, Chromebook or the rest.

1. Go to the Google Maps website.
2. Seek for the placement that you simply wish to take a look at within the search bar or simply merely drag the map to the place you wish to examine the elevation.
3. As soon as within the common neighborhood, hover your mouse over the Layers menu within the backside left nook.
4. Within the pop-up menu, select Terrain view. If it doesn’t seem within the pop-up, you need to click on on Extra and select Terrain there.
5. When you click on Terrain, the map ought to change to indicate the outlines of mountains, plains and so on.
6. On the backside of the web page, ensure that the toggle for View topography and elevation is turned on.
7. Now you need to enlarge the view till you see elevation markers. You’ll be able to zoom out and in by scrolling along with your mouse wheel or utilizing the + and – within the decrease proper nook. The markers will seem solely in a restricted zoom vary, so that you would possibly wish to be fairly gradual when zooming in or out on the map. These markers are the standard strains that mark the peak that you simply’ll see on paper maps – contours of heights and elevation strains.

Learn how to discover elevation on Google Maps on Android and iOS

Despite the fact that detailed route planning is kind of much more handy in your desktop, utilizing your cellular to try this – or simply shortly examine the elevation of a specific place – is often a lot quicker. It’s at all times in your hand or someplace close to, so shortly wanting up the peak of the place when navigation is operating in your cellphone anyway is fast, simple and handy.

Thankfully, it’s additionally simply as simple to search for elevation markers in your cellphone as it’s on the desktop. Right here’s the way to do it on each Android and iOS:

1. Open the Google Maps app on Android or iOS.
2. As earlier than, seek for the placement that you simply wish to take a look at within the search bar or simply scroll to it utilizing maps.
3. Faucet on the Layers icon on the proper, below the search bar.
4. Now, select Terrain as your Map sort
5. Shut the menu by tapping the X within the prime proper nook of the pop-up menu.
6. Now, when utilizing maps, elevation markers will seem when you’re zoomed in shut sufficient. Sadly, they is likely to be a bit arduous to learn, and zooming in additional makes them disappear, so that you would possibly want a little bit of endurance to learn them – or you’ll be able to examine them out on the desktop, the place they’re much extra readable.

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Do all areas on Google Maps have elevation markers?

Google Maps is a good and straightforward manner to take a look at the elevation of specific locations, however the device sadly has its limitations. Usually, it’s not as correct as specialised elevation instruments, and it additionally doesn’t give you elevation all over the place – Google has opted to stay to areas which are visibly hilly, and forego plains and different flatter areas.

This isn’t a lot of a problem if you’re planning a hike, however if you happen to’re simply curious, you would possibly wish to take a look at one thing a bit totally different. Thankfully, you don’t actually need to look far – Google has its personal device that can enable you be rather more correct and thorough – Google Earth.

On Google Earth, you’re simply capable of see the elevation all over the place, right down to the minute element – and achieve this with out the elevation strains. It merely exhibits up within the decrease proper nook of the display screen, indicating the precise altitude. So, if you happen to want rather more granular info, Google Earth is a good useful resource.