Library Guides: Maps & Geospatial: Topographic Maps: Contour Lines

Contour Lines

Contour lines represent lines of equal height (elevation) above or below sea level. Contour lines can be useful when determining how steep or flat an area is. Contour lines are present on topographic maps. In addition, contours can be used in vector format in other software.

The National Map
With this viewer, the user can define the area of their interest. For contour lines, on the side Data panel area, select Elevation Products (3DEP), and contours to download the zipped file. Upon unzipping, this file can be used in different softwares and may need to be clipped to your desired extent
PASDA, Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access
Search by keywords for contours for results on select PA counties and cities
USGS Store Map Locator
GeoPDFs of topographic maps have contour lines that can be turned on and off. Download is available from the National Map, along with other USGS sites.