Mount Diablo elevation
Mount Diablo rises to 3,864 ft (1,178 m) above sea level in California.
Published summit elevation
3,864ft
1,178 m above sea level
NGS survey mark MOUNT DIABLO (PID HS5120) · NAVD 88 (current U.S. vertical datum)
Source: NOAA National Geodetic Survey datasheet HS5120 (mark last recovered 2025-04-04)
- USGS 3DEP grid value (secondary)
- 3,838 ft (1,170 m)
- 26 ft below the published figure. Elevation grids average each cell, so they under-read sharp summits.
- Source: USGS 3D Elevation Program
- Rise above Clayton, CA
- 3,469 ft
- 4.1 mi from the summit; nearest incorporated place
- Source: USGS 3DEP at the town center
Data updated · By Ankit Kumar, compiled from public U.S. government and open datasets · How these numbers are made
Check your exact spot in the Mount Diablo area
Elevation changes from street to street. Use your location, search an address or click the map to get the USGS value for one point. Green pins mark the points named on this page.
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Data sources:
Life at 3,838 ft
Standard-atmosphere estimates for the summit of Mount Diablo (3,838 ft, from the USGS grid value). Weather moves the real values a little from day to day.
- Oxygen per breath
- 87 % of sea level
- Air is still 20.9% oxygen; there is just less air.
- Home canning
- Above 1,000 ft, USDA processing times and pressure-canner pounds go up.
- Canning adjustments
Sources: pressure from the U.S. Standard Atmosphere, 1976 (NOAA, NASA, USAF); boiling point from the Antoine equation for water (Lange's Handbook of Chemistry); canning thresholds from the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning. Not medical or food-safety advice; follow the tested USDA recipe for your altitude.
Health note: the CDC says unacclimatized travelers risk altitude illness when sleeping at about 8,000 ft or higher, and sometimes lower. This page is general information, not medical advice; read the CDC guidance on high-altitude travel and talk to a clinician before a high climb.
Mount Diablo and other California peaks on this site
- Mount Whitney14,505 ft
- Mount Shasta14,179 ft
- Mount San Gorgonio11,491 ft
- Mount San Jacinto10,796 ft
- Mount Baldy10,060 ft
- Mount Wilson5,713 ft
- Mount Diablo3,864 ft
Landmark elevations
| What | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Published summit elevation | 3,864 ft (1,178 m) | NOAA National Geodetic Survey datasheet HS5120 (mark last recovered 2025-04-04) |
| Highest USGS 3DEP value near the summit | 3,838 ft (1,170 m) | USGS 3DEP, 81 points within 250 m |
| USGS 3DEP at the GNIS summit point | 3,825 ft (1,166 m) | USGS 3DEP + GNIS coordinates |
| Nearest town: Clayton, CA | 395 ft (121 m) · 4.1 mi away | Census Gazetteer + USGS 3DEP |
| Nearest public airport: Buchanan Fld (KCCR) | 26 ft (8 m) · 11 mi away | FAA field elevation |
| North Peak (nearby summit) | 3,523 ft (1,074 m) · 1.1 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
| Mount Olympia (nearby summit) | 2,890 ft (881 m) · 1.5 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
| Eagle Peak (nearby summit) | 2,377 ft (725 m) · 1.9 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
| Twin Peaks (nearby summit) | 1,717 ft (524 m) · 2.4 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
| Artist Point (nearby summit) | 1,723 ft (525 m) · 2.6 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
Mount Diablo at a glance
| What | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| County | Contra Costa | USGS GNIS |
| USGS 7.5-minute topo map | Clayton | USGS GNIS |
| Summit coordinates | 37.88165, -121.91404 | USGS GNIS |
More peaks and tools
- Mount Tamalpais, CA — 2,576 ft, 37 mi away
- Mount Wittenberg, CA — 1,409 ft, 51 mi away
- Mount Whitney, CA — 14,505 ft, 219 mi away
- Mount Shasta, CA — 14,179 ft, 244 mi away
- Mount Wilson, CA — 5,713 ft, 332 mi away
- All California elevations
Frequently asked questions
How tall is Mount Diablo?
Mount Diablo is 3,864 ft (1,178 m) above sea level, according to NOAA National Geodetic Survey datasheet HS5120 (mark last recovered 2025-04-04), on the NAVD 88 datum. The highest USGS 3DEP grid value near the summit is 3,838 ft.
Why does the USGS map value differ from the published height of Mount Diablo?
The USGS 3D Elevation Program stores ground elevation as a grid of cells. Each cell holds one value for its whole area, so a pointed summit is averaged with the slopes around it and the grid reads lower than a survey of the top. Here the difference is 26 ft.
Where is Mount Diablo?
Mount Diablo is in Contra Costa County, California, at 37.8816, -121.9140, about 4.1 mi from Clayton. It appears on the USGS Clayton 7.5-minute topographic map.
How much oxygen is there at the top of Mount Diablo?
At 3,838 ft, water boils at about 205.0 °F (96.1 °C) and standard air pressure is 26.00 inHg (880 hPa), so each breath holds about 87% of the oxygen it would at sea level. The CDC says unacclimatized travelers risk altitude illness when they sleep at about 8,000 ft or higher, and sometimes lower.
What is the closest airport to Mount Diablo?
The nearest public-use airport is Buchanan Fld (KCCR), 11 mi away in a straight line, at 26 ft (FAA).
Sources
- NOAA National Geodetic Survey datasheet HS5120 (mark last recovered 2025-04-04) — elevation of NGS survey mark MOUNT DIABLO (PID HS5120)
- USGS Elevation Point Query Service (3DEP) — grid elevation near the summit, nearby summits and the nearest town
- USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), Domestic Names — summit name, position, county and topo map
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files (places) — nearest incorporated town
- FAA Aeronautical Information Services, Airports (field elevation) — airport field elevation
- U.S. Standard Atmosphere, 1976 (NOAA/NASA/USAF); water boiling point by the Antoine equation (Lange’s Handbook of Chemistry) — boiling point, air pressure and oxygen
- CDC Yellow Book: High-Altitude Travel and Altitude Illness — altitude illness threshold
How each number is produced: methodology and data sources.
Data updated · By Ankit Kumar, compiled from public U.S. government and open datasets · How these numbers are made