Mount Mitchell elevation
Mount Mitchell rises to 6,682 ft (2,037 m) above sea level, the highest point in North Carolina.
Published summit elevation
6,682ft
2,037 m above sea level
NGS survey mark 37 JS 13 (PID FB3977) · NAVD 88 (current U.S. vertical datum)
Source: NOAA National Geodetic Survey datasheet FB3977 (mark last recovered 2024-01-30)
- USGS 3DEP grid value (secondary)
- 6,668 ft (2,032 m)
- 14 ft below the published figure. Elevation grids average each cell, so they under-read sharp summits.
- Source: USGS 3D Elevation Program
- Rise above Montreat, NC
- 4,083 ft
- 8.3 mi from the summit; nearest incorporated place
- Source: USGS 3DEP at the town center
- Rank in state
- Highest point in North Carolina
- 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 Mitchell 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 6,668 ft
Standard-atmosphere estimates for the summit of Mount Mitchell (6,668 ft, from the USGS grid value). Weather moves the real values a little from day to day.
- Oxygen per breath
- 78 % 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 | 6,682 ft (2,037 m) | NOAA National Geodetic Survey datasheet FB3977 (mark last recovered 2024-01-30) |
| Highest USGS 3DEP value near the summit | 6,668 ft (2,032 m) | USGS 3DEP, 81 points within 250 m |
| USGS 3DEP at the GNIS summit point | 6,668 ft (2,032 m) | USGS 3DEP + GNIS coordinates |
| Nearest town: Montreat, NC | 2,599 ft (792 m) · 8.3 mi away | Census Gazetteer + USGS 3DEP |
| Nearest public airport: Shiflet Fld (9A9) | 1,212 ft (369 m) · 15 mi away | FAA field elevation |
| Mount Craig (nearby summit) | 6,634 ft (2,022 m) · 0.9 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
| Commissary Hill (nearby summit) | 5,766 ft (1,758 m) · 0.9 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
| Big Tom (nearby summit) | 6,578 ft (2,005 m) · 1.1 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
| Little Mountain (nearby summit) | 5,021 ft (1,531 m) · 1.2 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
| Hallback (nearby summit) | 6,392 ft (1,948 m) · 1.2 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
Mount Mitchell at a glance
| What | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| County | Yancey | USGS GNIS |
| USGS 7.5-minute topo map | Mount Mitchell | USGS GNIS |
| Summit coordinates | 35.76476, -82.26486 | USGS GNIS |
More peaks and tools
- Mount Rogers, VA — 5,711 ft, 74 mi away
- Mount Greylock, MA — 3,491 ft, 680 mi away
- Mount Marcy, NY — 5,343 ft, 726 mi away
- Mount Mansfield, VT — 4,395 ft, 784 mi away
- Mount Lafayette, NH — 5,242 ft, 807 mi away
- All North Carolina elevations
Frequently asked questions
How tall is Mount Mitchell?
Mount Mitchell is 6,682 ft (2,037 m) above sea level, according to NOAA National Geodetic Survey datasheet FB3977 (mark last recovered 2024-01-30), on the NAVD 88 datum. The highest USGS 3DEP grid value near the summit is 6,668 ft.
Why does the USGS map value differ from the published height of Mount Mitchell?
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 14 ft.
Where is Mount Mitchell?
Mount Mitchell is in Yancey County, North Carolina, at 35.7648, -82.2649, about 8.3 mi from Montreat. It appears on the USGS Mount Mitchell 7.5-minute topographic map.
How much oxygen is there at the top of Mount Mitchell?
At 6,668 ft, water boils at about 199.9 °F (93.3 °C) and standard air pressure is 23.38 inHg (792 hPa), so each breath holds about 78% 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 Mitchell?
The nearest public-use airport is Shiflet Fld (9A9), 15 mi away in a straight line, at 1,212 ft (FAA).
Sources
- NOAA National Geodetic Survey datasheet FB3977 (mark last recovered 2024-01-30) — elevation of NGS survey mark 37 JS 13 (PID FB3977)
- 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