Topographic surveys were completed during eight summer surveys (in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021) at 10 sites along the Carmel River, CA: Berwick (BW), Control Reach (CR), Crossroads (CRO), DeDampierre Lower (DDL), DeDampierre Upper (DDU), Dam Reach (DM), Reservoir Reach (RS), San Carlos (SC), Sleepy Hollow (SH), and Schulte Road (SR)). Topographic measurements were made at multiple locations along four to six cross-section transects per site using a total station (at sites CR, RS, DM and SH) and with an auto level and survey rod (at sites DDU, DDL, BW, SR, SC and CRO). This dataset contains the cross-sectional elevation measurements for each transect and survey year. The elevation measurement locations along each transect were located by measuring distances between corresponding endpoint coordinates, starting from river left (see accompanying file within this data release for topographic survey transect endpoint coordinates). For the transects measured with a total station (CR, RS, DM and SH), horizontal coordinates, elevation and distance from the left bank end point are provided. For the transects measured with an auto level (DDU, DDL, BW, SR, SC and CRO), only elevation and distance from left bank end point are provided (horizontal coordinates are defined as NULL for these transects). Vertical coordinates are referenced to the NAVD88 vertical datum, in units of meters. Horizontal coordinates are referenced to the NAD83(2011) reference frame, projected in Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates (zone 10N). These data supersede grain-size data originally published in 2017 at https://doi.org/10.5066/F74M93HF.