How high is Denver?
A live 3D slice of the terrain around Denver, from our satellite elevation model. Denver is marked at 5,285 ft (1,611 m); the highest ground in view reaches 13,556 ft (4,132 m). Drag to spin it (tap to start on mobile).
Why Denver is the “Mile High City”
One mile is 5,280 feet, and Denver’s nickname is the claim that the city sits exactly that high. The marker is literal: a step on the west side of the Colorado State Capitol is engraved “One Mile Above Sea Level,” and a brass survey stud a few steps up pins the mile with modern precision.
Our own measurement backs it up. A native ~30 m satellite sample at Denver’s center reads 5,285 ft (1,611 m) — about 5 ft (2 m) above the 5,280-foot benchmark, the expected gap between one surveyed step and a reading taken across the wider city center. Either way, the headline holds: Denver is a mile high, give or take a staircase.
Denver in Colorado
Here’s the useful context: Denver, at 5,285 ft (1,611 m), sits roughly 1,581 ft (482 m) below Colorado’s average elevation of 6,867 ft (2,093 m). Despite its reputation it’s on the lower side for its state — our model puts about 68% of Colorado’s land higher than the city.
The terrain around Denver
Across this view the land rises toward the west. The eastern third of the frame averages about 5,594 ft (1,705 m); the western third about 8,373 ft (2,552 m) — a climb of roughly 2,779 ft (847 m), topping out near 13,556 ft (4,132 m) at the edge of the frame. That is the mountain front Denver sits against.
You can read the whole story in the map above — the flatter ground where the city sits, and the way the land gathers into peaks nearby. It’s the difference between where you stand and what you can see from it.
What Denver’s altitude means
High-altitude medicine marks about ~8,000 ft (2,400 m) as the line where thin air starts to cause real trouble, and Denver, at 5,285 ft (1,611 m), sits comfortably below it. You won’t get altitude sickness just by arriving. But this is high enough that many people notice something on the first day.
The air is meaningfully thinner than at the coast, so expect a quicker pulse, a little breathlessness on stairs, and faster dehydration in dry air — and alcohol tends to hit harder. None of it is dangerous at this elevation; it just rewards drinking more water and taking the first evening easy.
How Denver compares
Among Colorado’s larger cities, Denver is ranked #6 of 10 by elevation.
- Colorado Springs — 6,020 ft (1,835 m)
- Montrose — 5,814 ft (1,772 m)
- Cañon City — 5,361 ft (1,634 m)
- Denver — 5,285 ft (1,611 m)
- Fort Collins — 5,010 ft (1,527 m)
- Pueblo — 4,678 ft (1,426 m)
- Grand Junction — 4,587 ft (1,398 m)
Denver elevation FAQ
- How high is Denver?
- Denver’s elevation is about 5,285 ft (1,611 m) above sea level at the city center, measured from Copernicus GLO-30 satellite data.
- Is Denver high or low for Colorado?
- On the low side. At 5,285 ft (1,611 m) it sits below Colorado’s average of 6,867 ft (2,093 m), with about 68% of the state higher.
- Does Denver’s altitude affect visitors?
- Mildly. At 5,285 ft (1,611 m) it’s below the ~8,000 ft (2,400 m) line where altitude sickness usually begins, but the thinner, drier air can still bring a faster pulse and quicker dehydration on the first day.
Explore more
- ↑ Colorado’s full elevation map — the whole state in interactive 3D, with its high and low points and average elevation.
- · Blog: Average Elevation by State — where Colorado’s 6,867 ft (2,093 m) mean ranks.
- · Blog: Elevation vs Altitude — what a city’s elevation figure actually measures.
Denver’s elevation is a native ~30 m windowed-median sample from Copernicus GLO-30 (ESA); the Colorado figures are computed across the state from the same model. The 3D view is a fine windowed sample at roughly 210 m resolution, sharp enough to resolve the surrounding ridgelines. Data as of 2026-08-18.