Mount Borah elevation
Mount Borah rises to 12,668 ft (3,861 m) above sea level, the highest point in Idaho.
Published summit elevation
12,668ft
3,861 m above sea level
NGS survey mark BEAUTY RESET (PID PZ0770) · NAVD 88 (current U.S. vertical datum)
Source: NOAA National Geodetic Survey datasheet PZ0770 (mark last recovered 1967)
- USGS 3DEP grid value (secondary)
- 12,656 ft (3,858 m)
- 12 ft below the published figure. Elevation grids average each cell, so they under-read sharp summits.
- Source: USGS 3D Elevation Program
- Rise above Mackay, ID
- 6,762 ft
- 18 mi from the summit; nearest incorporated place
- Source: USGS 3DEP at the town center
- Rank in state
- Highest point in Idaho
- Source: USGS Elevations and Distances
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 Borah 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 12,656 ft
Standard-atmosphere estimates for the summit of Mount Borah (12,656 ft, from the USGS grid value). Weather moves the real values a little from day to day.
- Oxygen per breath
- 62 % 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.
Landmark elevations
| What | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Published summit elevation | 12,668 ft (3,861 m) | NOAA National Geodetic Survey datasheet PZ0770 (mark last recovered 1967) |
| Highest USGS 3DEP value near the summit | 12,656 ft (3,858 m) | USGS 3DEP, 81 points within 250 m |
| USGS 3DEP at the GNIS summit point | 12,656 ft (3,858 m) | USGS 3DEP + GNIS coordinates |
| Nearest town: Mackay, ID | 5,906 ft (1,800 m) · 18 mi away | Census Gazetteer + USGS 3DEP |
| Nearest public airport: Mackay (U62) | 5,892 ft (1,796 m) · 18 mi away | FAA field elevation |
| Leatherman Peak (nearby summit) | 12,206 ft (3,721 m) · 4.5 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
| Donaldson Peak (nearby summit) | 12,026 ft (3,666 m) · 6.5 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
| Mount Breitenbach (nearby summit) | 12,141 ft (3,701 m) · 7.3 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
| Chilly Buttes (nearby summit) | 6,876 ft (2,096 m) · 7.3 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
| Dickey Peak (nearby summit) | 11,143 ft (3,396 m) · 8.1 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
Mount Borah at a glance
| What | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| County | Custer | USGS GNIS |
| USGS 7.5-minute topo map | Borah Peak | USGS GNIS |
| Summit coordinates | 44.13734, -113.78114 | USGS GNIS |
| Name in GNIS | Borah Peak | USGS GNIS |
More peaks and tools
- Mount Nebo, UT — 11,904 ft, 316 mi away
- Mount Cleveland, MT — 10,479 ft, 331 mi away
- Mount Jefferson, OR — 10,489 ft, 397 mi away
- Mount Hood, OR — 11,247 ft, 397 mi away
- Mount Adams, WA — 12,281 ft, 402 mi away
- All Idaho elevations
Frequently asked questions
How tall is Mount Borah?
Mount Borah is 12,668 ft (3,861 m) above sea level, according to NOAA National Geodetic Survey datasheet PZ0770 (mark last recovered 1967), on the NAVD 88 datum. The highest USGS 3DEP grid value near the summit is 12,656 ft.
Why does the USGS map value differ from the published height of Mount Borah?
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 12 ft.
Where is Mount Borah?
Mount Borah is in Custer County, Idaho, at 44.1373, -113.7811, about 18 mi from Mackay. It appears on the USGS Borah Peak 7.5-minute topographic map.
How much oxygen is there at the top of Mount Borah?
At 12,656 ft, water boils at about 188.9 °F (87.2 °C) and standard air pressure is 18.54 inHg (628 hPa), so each breath holds about 62% 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 Borah?
The nearest public-use airport is Mackay (U62), 18 mi away in a straight line, at 5,892 ft (FAA).
Sources
- NOAA National Geodetic Survey datasheet PZ0770 (mark last recovered 1967) — elevation of NGS survey mark BEAUTY RESET (PID PZ0770)
- 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