diff --git a/modules/core/src/index.ts b/modules/core/src/index.ts
index ef4463aab19..536710f5af2 100644
--- a/modules/core/src/index.ts
+++ b/modules/core/src/index.ts
@@ -38,7 +38,11 @@ export {default as DeckRenderer} from './lib/deck-renderer';
 
 // Viewports
 export {default as Viewport} from './viewports/viewport';
-export {default as WebMercatorViewport} from './viewports/web-mercator-viewport';
+export {
+  default as WebMercatorViewport,
+  getZoomFromElevation,
+  getElevationFromZoom
+} from './viewports/web-mercator-viewport';
 export {default as _GlobeViewport} from './viewports/globe-viewport';
 export {default as OrbitViewport} from './viewports/orbit-viewport';
 export {default as OrthographicViewport} from './viewports/orthographic-viewport';
diff --git a/modules/core/src/viewports/web-mercator-viewport.ts b/modules/core/src/viewports/web-mercator-viewport.ts
index 12275738e86..70d53ca9389 100644
--- a/modules/core/src/viewports/web-mercator-viewport.ts
+++ b/modules/core/src/viewports/web-mercator-viewport.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import {
   getProjectionParameters,
   altitudeToFovy,
   fovyToAltitude,
+  getMeterZoom,
   fitBounds,
   getBounds
 } from '@math.gl/web-mercator';
@@ -324,3 +325,61 @@ export default class WebMercatorViewport extends Viewport {
     return new WebMercatorViewport({width, height, longitude, latitude, zoom});
   }
 }
+
+/**
+ * Returns the zoom level that will position the camera at the given elevation above the ground.
+ * Can be used to create a WebMercatorViewport from a camera at a known physical elevation (e.g. for 3D tileset traversal).
+ *
+ * @param options
+ * @param options.elevation - Physical camera elevation in meters above the ground
+ * @param options.latitude - Latitude of the viewport center in degrees
+ * @param options.height - Height of the viewport in pixels
+ * @param options.pitch - Tilt of the camera in degrees. Default `0`
+ * @param options.fovy - Camera field of view in degrees. If provided, overrides `altitude`
+ * @param options.altitude - Camera altitude relative to the viewport height. Default `1.5`
+ * @returns Zoom level for use in WebMercatorViewport
+ */
+export function getZoomFromElevation(options: {
+  elevation: number;
+  latitude: number;
+  height: number;
+  pitch?: number;
+  fovy?: number;
+  altitude?: number;
+}): number {
+  const {elevation, latitude, height, pitch = 0, fovy, altitude = 1.5} = options;
+  const altitudeRatio = fovy ? fovyToAltitude(fovy) : altitude;
+  return (
+    getMeterZoom({latitude}) +
+    Math.log2((altitudeRatio * Math.cos(pitch * (Math.PI / 180)) * height) / elevation)
+  );
+}
+
+/**
+ * Returns the camera elevation in meters for the given zoom level.
+ * This is the inverse of `getZoomFromElevation`.
+ *
+ * @param options
+ * @param options.zoom - Zoom level
+ * @param options.latitude - Latitude of the viewport center in degrees
+ * @param options.height - Height of the viewport in pixels
+ * @param options.pitch - Tilt of the camera in degrees. Default `0`
+ * @param options.fovy - Camera field of view in degrees. If provided, overrides `altitude`
+ * @param options.altitude - Camera altitude relative to the viewport height. Default `1.5`
+ * @returns Camera elevation in meters above the ground
+ */
+export function getElevationFromZoom(options: {
+  zoom: number;
+  latitude: number;
+  height: number;
+  pitch?: number;
+  fovy?: number;
+  altitude?: number;
+}): number {
+  const {zoom, latitude, height, pitch = 0, fovy, altitude = 1.5} = options;
+  const altitudeRatio = fovy ? fovyToAltitude(fovy) : altitude;
+  return (
+    (altitudeRatio * Math.cos(pitch * (Math.PI / 180)) * height) /
+    Math.pow(2, zoom - getMeterZoom({latitude}))
+  );
+}
diff --git a/modules/main/src/index.ts b/modules/main/src/index.ts
index 04e8fe76983..13467925fed 100644
--- a/modules/main/src/index.ts
+++ b/modules/main/src/index.ts
@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@ export {
   OrbitViewport,
   OrthographicViewport,
   FirstPersonViewport,
+  // Viewport utilities
+  getZoomFromElevation,
+  getElevationFromZoom,
   // Controllers
   Controller,
   MapController,
diff --git a/test/modules/core/viewports/web-mercator-viewport.spec.ts b/test/modules/core/viewports/web-mercator-viewport.spec.ts
index 22aace0052e..f899d19b8da 100644
--- a/test/modules/core/viewports/web-mercator-viewport.spec.ts
+++ b/test/modules/core/viewports/web-mercator-viewport.spec.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 import test from 'tape-promise/tape';
 import {equals, config, Vector3} from '@math.gl/core';
-import {WebMercatorViewport} from 'deck.gl';
+import {WebMercatorViewport, getZoomFromElevation, getElevationFromZoom} from 'deck.gl';
 import {Matrix4} from '@math.gl/core';
 
 // Adjust sensitivity of math.gl's equals
@@ -304,6 +304,52 @@ test('WebMercatorViewport#constructor#fovy', t => {
   t.end();
 });
 
+test('getZoomFromElevation and getElevationFromZoom', t => {
+  const testCases = [
+    {latitude: 0, height: 600, altitude: 1.5, elevation: 1000},
+    {latitude: 45, height: 600, altitude: 1.5, elevation: 5000},
+    {latitude: 60, height: 800, altitude: 2.0, elevation: 500},
+    {latitude: 37.8, height: 600, altitude: 1.5, elevation: 10000, pitch: 30},
+    {latitude: 37.8, height: 600, fovy: 50, elevation: 2000}
+  ];
+
+  for (const tc of testCases) {
+    const zoom = getZoomFromElevation(tc);
+    t.ok(Number.isFinite(zoom), `getZoomFromElevation returns a number for ${JSON.stringify(tc)}`);
+
+    const roundtrippedElevation = getElevationFromZoom({...tc, zoom});
+    t.ok(
+      Math.abs(roundtrippedElevation - tc.elevation) < 1e-6,
+      `getElevationFromZoom is the inverse of getZoomFromElevation for ${JSON.stringify(tc)}`
+    );
+  }
+
+  // Verify the zoom produces the correct camera height in the viewport
+  const latitude = 37.8;
+  const height = 600;
+  const altitude = 1.5;
+  const desiredElevation = 5000;
+  const zoom = getZoomFromElevation({elevation: desiredElevation, latitude, height, altitude});
+  const viewport = new WebMercatorViewport({
+    latitude,
+    longitude: -122,
+    zoom,
+    height,
+    width: 800,
+    altitude
+  });
+  const cameraZ = viewport.cameraPosition[2];
+  // cameraPosition[2] is in common space; convert to meters
+  const distanceScales = viewport.getDistanceScales();
+  const cameraElevationMeters = cameraZ / distanceScales.unitsPerMeter[2];
+  t.ok(
+    Math.abs(cameraElevationMeters - desiredElevation) / desiredElevation < 0.01,
+    'camera elevation matches desired elevation (within 1%)'
+  );
+
+  t.end();
+});
+
 function getCulling(p, planes) {
   let outDir = null;
   p = new Vector3(p);