Mount Harvard elevation
Mount Harvard rises to 14,421 ft (4,396 m) above sea level in Colorado.
Published summit elevation
14,421ft
4,396 m above sea level
NGS survey mark HARVARD (PID JL0879) · NAVD 88 (current U.S. vertical datum)
Source: NOAA National Geodetic Survey datasheet JL0879 (mark last recovered 1955)
- USGS 3DEP grid value (secondary)
- 14,391 ft (4,386 m)
- 30 ft below the published figure. Elevation grids average each cell, so they under-read sharp summits.
- Source: USGS 3D Elevation Program
- Rise above Buena Vista, CO
- 6,461 ft
- 12 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 Harvard 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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Life at 14,391 ft
Standard-atmosphere estimates for the summit of Mount Harvard (14,391 ft, from the USGS grid value). Weather moves the real values a little from day to day.
- Oxygen per breath
- 58 % 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 Harvard and other Colorado peaks on this site
- Mount Elbert14,440 ft
- Mount Harvard14,421 ft
- Mount Massive14,417 ft
- Mount Lincoln14,293 ft
- Mount Antero14,276 ft
- Mount Blue Sky14,265 ft
- Longs Peak14,259 ft
Landmark elevations
| What | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Published summit elevation | 14,421 ft (4,396 m) | NOAA National Geodetic Survey datasheet JL0879 (mark last recovered 1955) |
| Highest USGS 3DEP value near the summit | 14,391 ft (4,386 m) | USGS 3DEP, 81 points within 250 m |
| USGS 3DEP at the GNIS summit point | 14,391 ft (4,386 m) | USGS 3DEP + GNIS coordinates |
| Nearest town: Buena Vista, CO | 7,960 ft (2,426 m) · 12 mi away | Census Gazetteer + USGS 3DEP |
| Nearest public airport: Central Colorado Rgnl (KAEJ) | 7,950 ft (2,423 m) · 13 mi away | FAA field elevation |
| Mount Columbia (nearby summit) | 14,067 ft (4,288 m) · 1.9 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
| Mount Oxford (nearby summit) | 14,155 ft (4,314 m) · 3.0 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
| Birthday Peak (nearby summit) | 12,751 ft (3,886 m) · 3.0 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
| Emerald Peak (nearby summit) | 13,909 ft (4,240 m) · 3.3 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
| Mount Belford (nearby summit) | 14,178 ft (4,321 m) · 3.3 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
Mount Harvard at a glance
| What | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| County | Chaffee | USGS GNIS |
| USGS 7.5-minute topo map | Mount Harvard | USGS GNIS |
| Summit coordinates | 38.92435, -106.32068 | USGS GNIS |
More peaks and tools
- Mount Columbia, CO — 14,077 ft, 1.9 mi away
- Mount Yale, CO — 14,200 ft, 5.6 mi away
- Mount Princeton, CO — 14,204 ft, 13 mi away
- Mount Elbert, CO — 14,440 ft, 15 mi away
- Mount Antero, CO — 14,276 ft, 18 mi away
- All Colorado elevations
Frequently asked questions
How tall is Mount Harvard?
Mount Harvard is 14,421 ft (4,396 m) above sea level, according to NOAA National Geodetic Survey datasheet JL0879 (mark last recovered 1955), on the NAVD 88 datum. The highest USGS 3DEP grid value near the summit is 14,391 ft.
Why does the USGS map value differ from the published height of Mount Harvard?
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 30 ft.
Where is Mount Harvard?
Mount Harvard is in Chaffee County, Colorado, at 38.9243, -106.3207, about 12 mi from Buena Vista. It appears on the USGS Mount Harvard 7.5-minute topographic map.
How much oxygen is there at the top of Mount Harvard?
At 14,391 ft, water boils at about 185.7 °F (85.4 °C) and standard air pressure is 17.30 inHg (586 hPa), so each breath holds about 58% 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 Harvard?
The nearest public-use airport is Central Colorado Rgnl (KAEJ), 13 mi away in a straight line, at 7,950 ft (FAA).
Sources
- NOAA National Geodetic Survey datasheet JL0879 (mark last recovered 1955) — elevation of NGS survey mark HARVARD (PID JL0879)
- 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