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Window Seat

Anchorage → Denver

ANC–DEN · Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport to Denver International Airport

Best bet

Left side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

Mount Fairweather leads it, with 6 more on the same side.

Flight paths move around. Treat this as the better bet, not a promise.

What you might see

In flight order, with distance measured from the representative route.

ANC to DEN: where each landmark sits relative to the routeA diagram of the representative route running left to right, with the departure airport at the left and the arrival airport at the right. Landmarks on the left side of the aircraft are plotted above the route line and landmarks on the right side below it, each at its distance from the route. The numbered list below this diagram carries the same information as text.ANCDENLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678910111213
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 76 miles); the shaded ends are the 40-mile zones around each airport where the runway in use decides the view. Numbers match the list below. Hollow markers didn't count toward the recommendation.

  1. Prince William Sound

    Either sideEarly8 mi off the route

    Prince William Sound passes almost directly beneath early in the flight, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Good possibility

  2. Mount Fairweather

    LeftQuarter in17 mi off the route

    Mount Fairweather is about 17 miles off the left, about a quarter of the way in.

    Strong candidate

  3. Flathead Lake

    Either sideThree quarters1 mi off the route

    Flathead Lake passes almost directly beneath about three quarters of the way, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Good possibility

  4. Longs Peak

    RightNear the end23 mi off the route

    Longs Peak is about 23 miles off the right, late in the flight.

    Good possibility

Show 9 more along the way (Turnagain Arm, the Chugach Mountains, Mount Saint Elias, Mount Logan, the Malaspina Glacier, Glacier Bay, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone Lake, Wind River Range)

Further off the route, closer to an airport, or both. Still in flight order, still numbered to match the diagram.

  1. Turnagain Arm

    RightEarly11 mi off the route

    Turnagain Arm sits close enough to ANC that the runway in use and the procedure of the day decide whether it shows up at all.

    Runway dependent

  2. the Chugach Mountains

    LeftEarly40 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, the Chugach Mountains sits roughly 40 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  3. Mount Saint Elias

    LeftEarly51 mi off the route

    Mount Saint Elias is about 51 miles off the left, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  4. Mount Logan

    LeftEarly76 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Mount Logan sits roughly 76 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  5. the Malaspina Glacier

    LeftEarly33 mi off the route

    Look left early in the flight for the Malaspina Glacier, about 33 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  6. Glacier Bay

    LeftQuarter in28 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Glacier Bay sits roughly 28 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  7. Glacier National Park

    LeftThree quarters50 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Glacier National Park, about 50 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  8. Yellowstone Lake

    RightThree quarters27 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Yellowstone Lake sits roughly 27 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  9. Wind River Range

    RightNear the end58 mi off the route

    Look right late in the flight for Wind River Range, about 58 miles out.

    Distant possibility

The sun

Flying soon? Add your date and departure time and we'll work out where the sun should be, and which side gets less of it.

Airport codes or city names. SEA, Seattle, and Seattle-Tacoma all work.

Skip the date and you still get the landmark answer. Add it and we work out where the sun will be, using the departure airport's local time.

The route we used

2,400 mi
Great-circle distance
10
Landmarks that counted

That is the shortest path between the two airports, used as a representative corridor rather than a flight plan. The first and last 40 miles are treated as uncertain, because that part of the flight is shaped by the runway in use and the published departure or arrival procedure. Anything in those zones is listed and marked, never counted toward the recommendation.

Left and right, from where?

Left and right are from your perspective sitting in the cabin, facing the front of the aircraft. Seat letters are not a reliable guide to which side you are on, because aircraft are configured differently.

Why this isn't guaranteed

Flights don't follow the same path every day. Runway configuration, weather deviations, traffic, and air traffic control all move the track around, and none of it is knowable in advance. We also have nothing to say about cloud cover, which is the other thing standing between you and Mount Rainier. The full method.

Flying the other way?

Denver → AnchorageRight side

Calculated from scratch, not by flipping this one. The landmarks arrive in the opposite order, the sun is somewhere else entirely, and the answer changes with them.

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