Official Source for Summit Elevations

[CheapCigarMan]

So, who's the official source of summit elevations? The USGS? The NED?
Is the USGS responsible for names and the NED for elevations?

On the USGS site many of the peaks are pretty close but some are pretty far off from what are listed on this site.

Crestone Needle 31' shorter
Tabaguache 41' shorter

Snowmass 15' higher
Lindsey 20' higher

Several 14'ers are 13'ers according to the USGS and lists Pyramid Peak as the highest 13'er at 13,993'

https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=138:2:::NO:RP::
State = Colorado
Feature Class = Summit
Elevation = Higher than 13900

Disclaims elevations are from the National Elevation Dataset (NED)
Naming of summits seems to be based on public opinion, mostly but not always.

What is the source of elevations for this site?

Maybe there are several entities or agencies who claim this space of elevation measuring and not one source of truth?
If that's the case I can more understand some of the people's views on here. Elevations are somewhat overrated and they just enjoy hiking for hiking's sake, regardless of the mountains elevation status.

[cottonmountaineering]

i think the elevations are the same as on peakbagger

https://peakbagger.com/help/glossary.aspx#navd88

does anyone really care about +- 50 feet?

[Scott P]

So, who's the official source of summit elevations?

What is the source of elevations for this site?

Other than certain benchmarks, there are no official elevations. In fact the different scale USGS maps don't agree each other much of the time and that's from the same entity. Never mind the different elevations the Forest Service, BLM, USGS, all use on their different maps that often don't agree.

Sites such as listsofjohn, 14ers.com, or Peakbagger just use the elevations on the USGS quads with the largest scale. Those are typically the 7.5 minutes in the US ouside Alaska and the 15 minute maps in Alaska.

Sometimes the elevations on different scale USGS maps don't agree. For example, for Lost Lakes Peaks in the Flat Tops, the 7.5 minute map shows the eastern summit as the highest, while on the 1:250,000 map the western summit is shown as highest.

With the exception of Windom and Eolus, 14ers.com uses the elevations on the latest 7.5 minute USGS maps.

Keep in mind that some benchmarks aren't really on the summit either. The benchmarks on Eolus and Windom, for example, aren't on the summits, but often times the benchmark elevations are still used. That's why different list vary as to whether Eolus or Windom is higher. Windom is actually higher, but the benchmark on Eolus is higher than the benchmark on Eolus, so some sources incorrectly credit Eolus as being higher.

Even with all of the above there is still the difference of NAVD88 vs. NGVS29 which has already been discussed ad nauseam on this site many times.

[Hiking_TheRockies]

I actually thought for a while that 14ers.com was an official site for Colorado 13 and 14er information.

I'm pretty sure that all of the elevations on here are correct, but www.colorado.gov has a list of all of the peaks and their elevations, and its a government site so that one seems pretty legit.
https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/ ... %20A_0.pdf

[ker0uac]

I actually thought for a while that 14ers.com was an official site for Colorado 13 and 14er information.

Wait, it's not?

[Hiking_TheRockies]

I actually thought for a while that 14ers.com was an official site for Colorado 13 and 14er information.

Wait, it's not?

At least, it's not government run. But it is probably better than a lot of government sites on 14er information lol.

[rijaca]

I actually thought for a while that 14ers.com was an official site for Colorado 13 and 14er information.

Wait, it's not?

At least, it's not government run. But it is probably better than a lot of government sites on 14er information lol.

Why should there be government sites on 14er info?

[Hiking_TheRockies]

Wait, it's not?

At least, it's not government run. But it is probably better than a lot of government sites on 14er information lol.

Why should there be government sites on 14er info?

So crazy people don't go up 14ers in their flip flops and jeans. I also think there are a lot of government sites for national parks and wilderness areas, so why not make one for 14ers?

[benmangelsdorf]

At least, it's not government run. But it is probably better than a lot of government sites on 14er information lol.

Why should there be government sites on 14er info?

So crazy people don't go up 14ers in their flip flops and jeans. I also think there are a lot of government sites for national parks and wilderness areas, so why not make one for 14ers?

Hiking in jeans and flip flops is cool

[Scott P]

I'm pretty sure that all of the elevations on here are correct

Based on what? It is highly unlikely the more than a few of them (if any) are correct. As mentioned earlier, with the exception of Windom and Eolus, 14ers.com uses the elevations on the latest 7.5 minute USGS map, which are based on NGVS29 data.

but www.colorado.gov has a list of all of the peaks and their elevations, and its a government site so that one seems pretty legit.
https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/ ... %20A_0.pdf

That's the same source above, but adjusted for NAVD88 using NOAA's spreadsheet.

This has been discussed over and over on this website and others. Some have apparently paid attention, while others apparently have not.

Anyway, one thing for sure is that the USGS doesn't care about exact mountain elevations and most of them are simply estimates based on telemetry. There is only one government agency that cares about really accurate elevations of mountains or projections and that's the FAA.

[Hiking_TheRockies]

Why should there be government sites on 14er info?

So crazy people don't go up 14ers in their flip flops and jeans. I also think there are a lot of government sites for national parks and wilderness areas, so why not make one for 14ers?

Hiking in jeans and flip flops is cool

Not to the summit of Capitol Peak lol

[Scott P]

Wait, it's not?

At least, it's not government run. But it is probably better than a lot of government sites on 14er information lol.

Why should there be government sites on 14er info?

State or local government sites that are concerned with tourism often include lists of 14ers. 14ers attract a lot of tourism or interest in Colorado and bring in money. Thus you will find them on such sites. Of course they don't care about the exact elevation of every mountain.