How is elevation gain calculated?

Add up every uphill change between consecutive points and ignore the downhill ones; total loss is the same for downhill changes. For 1200, 1350, 1280, 1500 m the gain is 150 + 220 = 370 m, the loss is 70 m and the net change is +300 m.

Why does my GPS watch or app show different elevation gain?

Every device and app smooths elevation differently. GPS-only altitude wanders by several metres, so summing every wiggle overstates gain; barometric altimeters are smoother; some apps replace the recorded altitude with a terrain model. Raising the threshold in this tool usually lowers the total toward what a smoothed device reports.

What smoothing threshold should I use?

Use 0 for surveyed or map-read waypoints. For barometric GPS tracks 1–3 m (3–10 ft) is typical; for GPS-only phone tracks 5–10 m (15–30 ft). If the total barely changes between two thresholds, the data is clean.

Can I upload a GPX file?

Yes. Choose a .gpx file and it is read in your browser, never uploaded. The tool uses track points (trkpt), or route points or waypoints if there is no track, and needs an value on each point. Points without elevation are skipped and counted.

What is Naismith's rule?

A walking-time estimate from 1892: allow 1 hour for every 3 miles (5 km) of distance plus 1 hour for every 2,000 ft (600 m) of ascent. A 12 km hike with 900 m of gain is about 2.4 + 1.5 = 3.9 hours, before breaks. Fit, lightly loaded walkers are faster; rough ground and steep descents are slower.

What is the difference between elevation gain and net elevation change?

Elevation gain counts every uphill section added together. Net elevation change is the final elevation minus the starting elevation. A loop has zero net change but can have thousands of feet of gain.

How is trail grade calculated?

Grade is rise divided by horizontal distance, as a percentage: 100 m of climb over 1 km is 10%. The average climbing grade divides total rise by the distance of the uphill segments, and the steepest stretch is the largest grade over any section at least 100 m long.

Elevation Gain Calculator

Upload a GPX track or paste elevations to get total ascent and descent, net change, distance, average climbing grade, the steepest 100 m stretch and a Naismith hiking time. A smoothing threshold removes GPS noise that inflates gain.

Route Elevations

Upload a GPX file (read in your browser)

No file loaded. You can also paste elevations below.

Elevations, one per line

Unit: Meters Feet

Route distance (km)

Smoothing (m)

Distance is read from the GPX when a file is loaded. Smoothing: 0 = every change; 2–5 m (5–15 ft) for GPS tracks.

Sample Trails

Upload a GPX file or enter elevations, then click Calculate

Worked example

Elevations 1200, 1350, 1280, 1500 m: rises are 150 and 220 m, so gain = 370 m; the one drop gives loss = 70 m; net = 1500 − 1200 = +300 m. Over 3 km, the 370 m of climbing adds 370 ÷ 600 = 0.62 h to 3 ÷ 5 = 0.6 h, a Naismith time of about 1 h 13 min. With a 100 m threshold the 70 m dip is ignored and gain becomes the net 300 m.

Summary

Total elevation gain is the sum of every rise along a route; total loss is the sum of every drop. Net change is just the end elevation minus the start. GPS and DEM elevations carry noise of a few metres, and summing every wiggle inflates gain, so this calculator applies an optional threshold (hysteresis): a rise or drop only counts once it exceeds the threshold from the last counted point. Upload a GPX file and it is parsed entirely in your browser; distances come from the latitude and longitude of each point (haversine, horizontal). With a distance the tool also reports the average climbing grade, the steepest 100 m stretch and a Naismith estimate: 1 hour per 5 km (3 miles) plus 1 hour per 600 m (2,000 ft) of ascent.

How it works

Upload a .gpx file (track points, route points or waypoints with <ele>), or paste one elevation per line in metres or feet.
For a pasted list, enter the total route distance to unlock grade and Naismith time; points are assumed evenly spaced.
Set a smoothing threshold: 0 sums every change (exact for surveyed waypoints); 2–5 m (5–15 ft) suits GPS tracks. The raw total is shown alongside.
Gain counts a rise once the elevation has climbed at least the threshold above the last counted point; loss works the same way downhill.
Read total ascent and descent, net change, distance, climbing grade, steepest 100 m stretch and Naismith time, and check the elevation profile chart.

Use cases

Getting total ascent and descent from a GPX file exported from Strava, Garmin Connect, AllTrails or Gaia GPS.
Comparing two trail options by cumulative gain and steepest grade.
Seeing why a watch and an app report different ascent, by changing the smoothing threshold.
Estimating hiking time with Naismith's rule before a day hike.
Converting a spreadsheet column of waypoint elevations into gain, loss and min/max stats.
Finding total vertical drop for a ski run or mountain bike descent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-10-10 · Reviewed by Nham Vu