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Bellingham → Palm Springs

BLI–PSP · Bellingham International Airport to Palm Springs International Airport

Best bet

Right side

Strong betOne side has clearly more to look at.

Mount Rainier is the main event, and it has company: 7 more worth looking at out the right.

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.

BLI to PSP: 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.BLIPSPLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE1234567891011121314
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 58 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. San Juan Islands

    RightEarly27 mi off the route

    San Juan Islands sits close enough to BLI that the runway in use and the procedure of the day decide whether it shows up at all.

    Runway dependent

  2. Mount Baker

    LeftEarly31 mi off the route

    Whether Mount Baker appears comes down to how you get out of BLI, which is not something we can know in advance.

    Runway dependent

  3. Puget Sound

    RightEarly17 mi off the route

    Look right early in the flight for Puget Sound, about 17 miles out.

    Good possibility

  4. Glacier Peak

    LeftEarly47 mi off the route

    Glacier Peak is about 47 miles off the left, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  5. Mount Rainier

    RightEarly9 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Mount Rainier sits roughly 9 miles to the right.

    Strong candidate

  6. Mount St. Helens

    RightQuarter in42 mi off the route

    Look right about a quarter of the way in for Mount St. Helens, about 42 miles out.

    Good possibility

  7. Mount Adams

    RightQuarter in11 mi off the route

    Mount Adams is about 11 miles off the right, about a quarter of the way in.

    Good possibility

  8. Columbia River Gorge

    RightQuarter in35 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Columbia River Gorge sits roughly 35 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  9. Mount Hood

    RightQuarter in38 mi off the route

    Look right about a quarter of the way in for Mount Hood, about 38 miles out.

    Good possibility

  10. Mount Jefferson

    RightQuarter in58 mi off the route

    Mount Jefferson is about 58 miles off the right, about a quarter of the way in.

    Distant possibility

  11. Mount Whitney

    RightThree quarters47 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Mount Whitney sits roughly 47 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  12. Death Valley

    LeftThree quarters27 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Death Valley, about 27 miles out.

    Good possibility

  13. San Gorgonio Mountain

    RightNear the end13 mi off the route

    San Gorgonio Mountain sits close enough to PSP that the runway in use and the procedure of the day decide whether it shows up at all.

    Runway dependent

  14. San Jacinto Peak

    RightNear the end10 mi off the route

    Whether San Jacinto Peak appears comes down to how you come into PSP, which is not something we can know in advance.

    Runway dependent

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

1,079 mi
Great-circle distance
161°
Course out of BLI
165°
Course into PSP
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?

Palm Springs → BellinghamLeft 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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