Lidar elevations

[Sparky of SoCal]

(Scroll to the bottom to see precisely why I posted this on a DV forum!)

The project to gather accurate elevations via Lidar recently came to my attention because a few individuals are analyzing data to determine accurate summit and peak elevations in Colorado.

What is Lidar data?

This is important to peakbaggers, because the results will affect elevation-based lists. For some peaks, either the summit elevation is changing, the summit may turn out to be a different high point than thought, or the peak's status as ranked/unranked is changing.

For the uninitiated, "ranked" means there is at least 300 feet of rise from the highest saddle to the summit.  This is an arbitrary number chosen so that every little high point on a ridge doesn't end up being considered a summit. When people set out to complete lists such as the "Centennial Peaks" (the 100 highest peaks in Colorado), typically that means they want to climb the 100 highest ranked peaks in the state.

By the time all this analysis is done, people who thought they had completed a certain list will find the goal post moved!    The Centennial list has changed, as some peaks were dropped and some added.  And the same is true for other peaks lists.

Here are a couple of discussion threads on 14ers.com, a site dedicated to higher peaks in Colorado. They'll give you an idea how the analysis is being done, what they're finding, and what the results are.

Colorado Lidar Findings discussion

Challenger Peak is not ranked!

North Maroon Peak is ranked!

How this relates to DV: I'm not sure who will do a detailed analysis of the data regarding peaks in DVNP.  But I would think someone would be interested in figuring out where the low point of the valley is!  So far, people who wish to visit that point simply go to the -282' spot elevation on the USGS topo map. Which may or may not be the true low spot OR the correct elevation.  Hopefully we'll get an exact location soon.

Very interesting none the less. The folks using the old school methods for decades were still pretty close, that is another story.