Which published Mount Whitney elevation should a consumer display?

gap · gap-whitney-published-elevation-conflict

Current NPS, USGS, and a 2026 Peakbagger-reported GNSS measurement publish materially different elevations with different methods and contexts; preserve each value and its provenance rather than silently selecting one.

Open question. The following evidence does not resolve this gap. Use the recorded question and reason to understand what needs confirmation.

Claims and evidence

Published summit elevation

Feet
14505
Meters
4421
Publisher
National Park Service
Vertical datum
NAVD88
Evidence and sources (1)

No claim effective interval recorded.

Spatial scope IDs: scope-peak-mount-whitney

  1. Evidence stance: supports · Evidence details

    NPS identifies Mount Whitney as the tallest peak in the lower 48, on the Sequoia National Park–Inyo National Forest boundary. It publishes a 14,505-foot NAVD88 summit elevation, the 10.7-mile Whitney Portal approach, seasonal equipment qualification, and a roughly 60-mile west-side High Sierra Trail approach.

    Publisher
    National Park Service
    Observer / attribution
    Not recorded
    Observed at
    Unknown
    Retrieved at
    2026-09-23T01:00:00+00:00

    Retrieval time does not establish when an event occurred.

    Observation details · Source details · Original source: National Park Service

Reported summit measurement

Feet
14500.7
Measured on
2026-05-09
Meters
4419.8
Method
differential GNSS
Reported error ft
0.04
Vertical datum
NAVD88
Evidence and sources (1)

No claim effective interval recorded.

Spatial scope IDs: scope-peak-mount-whitney

  1. Evidence stance: supports · Evidence details

    Peakbagger reports 14,500.7 feet NAVD88 from a May 9, 2026 differential-GNSS observation, WGS84 coordinates 36.57861, -118.291999, prominence 10,081 feet, isolation 1,646.42 miles, and the historical alternate name Fishermans Peak.

    Publisher
    Peakbagger.com
    Observer / attribution
    Not recorded
    Observed at
    2026-05-09T00:00:00+00:00
    Retrieved at
    2026-09-23T01:00:00+00:00

    Retrieval time does not establish when an event occurred.

    Observation details · Source details · Original source: Peakbagger.com

Published summit elevation

Feet
14494
Publication context
state high-point table
Publisher
U.S. Geological Survey
Evidence and sources (1)

No claim effective interval recorded.

Spatial scope IDs: scope-peak-mount-whitney

  1. Evidence stance: supports · Evidence details

    The USGS state high-point table identifies Mount Whitney in Inyo–Tulare as California's highest point and publishes an elevation of 14,494 feet.

    Publisher
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Observer / attribution
    Not recorded
    Observed at
    Unknown
    Retrieved at
    2026-09-23T01:00:00+00:00

    Retrieval time does not establish when an event occurred.

    Observation details · Source details · Original source: U.S. Geological Survey

Recorded observations

Browse observations separately (3)

NPS identifies Mount Whitney as the tallest peak in the lower 48, on the Sequoia National Park–Inyo National Forest boundary. It publishes a 14,505-foot NAVD88 summit elevation, the 10.7-mile Whitney Portal approach, seasonal equipment qualification, and a roughly 60-mile west-side High Sierra Trail approach.

Publisher
National Park Service
Observer / attribution
Not recorded
Observed at
Unknown
Retrieved at
2026-09-23T01:00:00+00:00

Retrieval time does not establish when an event occurred.

Observation details · Source details · Original source: National Park Service

Peakbagger reports 14,500.7 feet NAVD88 from a May 9, 2026 differential-GNSS observation, WGS84 coordinates 36.57861, -118.291999, prominence 10,081 feet, isolation 1,646.42 miles, and the historical alternate name Fishermans Peak.

Publisher
Peakbagger.com
Observer / attribution
Not recorded
Observed at
2026-05-09T00:00:00+00:00
Retrieved at
2026-09-23T01:00:00+00:00

Retrieval time does not establish when an event occurred.

Observation details · Source details · Original source: Peakbagger.com

The USGS state high-point table identifies Mount Whitney in Inyo–Tulare as California's highest point and publishes an elevation of 14,494 feet.

Publisher
U.S. Geological Survey
Observer / attribution
Not recorded
Observed at
Unknown
Retrieved at
2026-09-23T01:00:00+00:00

Retrieval time does not establish when an event occurred.

Observation details · Source details · Original source: U.S. Geological Survey

Published record history

History lists published operations; it does not reconstruct removed content or confirm that external media remains available.

JSON

Historical evidence is not a guarantee of current conditions.