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Anchorage → Las Vegas

ANC–LAS · Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport to Harry Reid International Airport

Best bet

Left side

Strong betOne side has clearly more to look at.

Mount Jefferson is the main event, and it has company: 5 more worth looking at out the left.

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 LAS: 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.ANCLASLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 66 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. Turnagain Arm

    Either sideEarly8 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. Prince William Sound

    LeftEarly21 mi off the route

    Look left early in the flight for Prince William Sound, about 21 miles out.

    Good possibility

  3. Mount Jefferson

    LeftThree quarters20 mi off the route

    Mount Jefferson is about 20 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Good possibility

  4. Three Sisters

    Either sideThree quarters1 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

Show 4 more along the way (the Chugach Mountains, Olympic Mountains, Mount St. Helens, Mount Hood)

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

  1. the Chugach Mountains

    LeftEarly56 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, the Chugach Mountains sits roughly 56 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  2. Olympic Mountains

    LeftHalfway66 mi off the route

    Olympic Mountains is about 66 miles off the left, around the halfway mark.

    Distant possibility

  3. Mount St. Helens

    LeftThree quarters65 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Mount St. Helens sits roughly 65 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  4. Mount Hood

    LeftThree quarters52 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Mount Hood, about 52 miles out.

    Good 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

2,301 mi
Great-circle distance
6
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?

Las Vegas → 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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