Mount Adams elevation
Mount Adams rises to 12,281 ft (3,743 m) above sea level in Washington.
Published summit elevation
12,281ft
3,743 m above sea level
NGS survey mark MOUNT ADAMS (PID SB1004) · NAVD 88 (current U.S. vertical datum)
Source: NOAA National Geodetic Survey datasheet SB1004 (mark last recovered 1970)
- USGS 3DEP grid value (secondary)
- 12,276 ft (3,742 m)
- 5 ft below the published figure. Elevation grids average each cell, so they under-read sharp summits.
- Source: USGS 3D Elevation Program
- Rise above White Salmon, WA
- 11,664 ft
- 33 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 Adams 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 12,276 ft
Standard-atmosphere estimates for the summit of Mount Adams (12,276 ft, from the USGS grid value). Weather moves the real values a little from day to day.
- Oxygen per breath
- 63 % 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 Adams and other Washington peaks on this site
- Mount Rainier14,410 ft
- Mount Adams12,281 ft
- Mount Baker10,765 ft
- Mount Hoodoo8,459 ft
- Mount Saint Helens8,306 ft
- Mount Olympus7,928 ft
Landmark elevations
| What | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Published summit elevation | 12,281 ft (3,743 m) | NOAA National Geodetic Survey datasheet SB1004 (mark last recovered 1970) |
| Highest USGS 3DEP value near the summit | 12,276 ft (3,742 m) | USGS 3DEP, 81 points within 250 m |
| USGS 3DEP at the GNIS summit point | 12,276 ft (3,742 m) | USGS 3DEP + GNIS coordinates |
| Nearest town: White Salmon, WA | 617 ft (188 m) · 33 mi away | Census Gazetteer + USGS 3DEP |
| Nearest public airport: Packwood (55S) | 1,057 ft (322 m) · 29 mi away | FAA field elevation |
| Pikers Peak (nearby summit) | 11,632 ft (3,545 m) · 0.5 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
| South Butte (nearby summit) | 7,778 ft (2,371 m) · 2.9 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
| Goat Butte (nearby summit) | 7,477 ft (2,279 m) · 3.1 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
| Red Butte (nearby summit) | 7,202 ft (2,195 m) · 3.4 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
| The Hump (nearby summit) | 6,612 ft (2,015 m) · 3.4 mi away | GNIS position, USGS 3DEP at that point |
Mount Adams at a glance
| What | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| County | Yakima | USGS GNIS |
| USGS 7.5-minute topo map | Mount Adams East | USGS GNIS |
| Summit coordinates | 46.20244, -121.49077 | USGS GNIS |
More peaks and tools
- Mount Saint Helens, WA — 8,306 ft, 34 mi away
- Mount Rainier, WA — 14,410 ft, 47 mi away
- Mount Hood, OR — 11,247 ft, 58 mi away
- Mount Jefferson, OR — 10,489 ft, 107 mi away
- Mount Hoodoo, WA — 8,459 ft, 151 mi away
- All Washington elevations
Frequently asked questions
How tall is Mount Adams?
Mount Adams is 12,281 ft (3,743 m) above sea level, according to NOAA National Geodetic Survey datasheet SB1004 (mark last recovered 1970), on the NAVD 88 datum. The highest USGS 3DEP grid value near the summit is 12,276 ft.
Why does the USGS map value differ from the published height of Mount Adams?
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 5 ft.
Where is Mount Adams?
Mount Adams is in Yakima County, Washington, at 46.2024, -121.4908, about 33 mi from White Salmon. It appears on the USGS Mount Adams East 7.5-minute topographic map.
How much oxygen is there at the top of Mount Adams?
At 12,276 ft, water boils at about 189.6 °F (87.5 °C) and standard air pressure is 18.82 inHg (637 hPa), so each breath holds about 63% 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 Adams?
The nearest public-use airport is Packwood (55S), 29 mi away in a straight line, at 1,057 ft (FAA).
Sources
- NOAA National Geodetic Survey datasheet SB1004 (mark last recovered 1970) — elevation of NGS survey mark MOUNT ADAMS (PID SB1004)
- 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