Elevation Explained: Gain, Loss, Profiles, and Why Apps Disagree
Elevation is one of the best predictors of difficulty — and also one of the easiest stats to misunderstand.
If you’ve ever seen two apps report different ascent for the same route, you’re not imagining it.
What “elevation gain” actually means
Elevation gain (total ascent) is the sum of all uphill climbing along a route.
It’s not:
- the difference between start and finish elevation
- “highest point minus lowest point”
A rolling route with many small climbs can have a lot of total gain even if it starts and ends at the same elevation.
Why different apps show different numbers
1) Different elevation sources
Tools may use:
- GPS elevation (often noisy)
- map elevation models (DEM) (more consistent, but can be coarse)
2) Different sampling
If a route has many points, tiny ups and downs get counted differently depending on how the tool samples the path.
3) Different smoothing and thresholds
Many tools apply smoothing or ignore tiny bumps to avoid counting noise as “real climbing.”
Two apps can both be “reasonable” and still disagree.
How to read an elevation profile (what to look for)
An elevation profile is useful because it shows where the climbing happens. You can use our Elevation Profile Tool to visualize the gain and loss of any GPX file.
When you scan a profile, look for:
- one big sustained climb (effort + pacing)
- lots of spikes (often harder than it looks)
- long descents (impact and fatigue)
- steep ramps (a few minutes can change the day)
If you’re planning a run, a long descent after a hard climb can be the hardest part.
Practical tips for planning with elevation
- Don’t compare routes by distance alone.
- When you’re unsure, choose the route with the simpler profile.
- For unfamiliar terrain, add margin to your time estimate.
- Always check the profile before you commit.
If you want a full workflow: Route Planning 101.
Where TrailSplits fits
TrailSplits is built around planning routes and understanding effort quickly:
- create a route
- inspect the elevation profile
- export a GPX for your device
Try it here: Open the TrailSplits planner.