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Boston → Los Angeles

BOS–LAX · Boston Logan International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport

Best bet

Right side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

San Juan Mountains leads it, with 4 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.

BOS to LAX: 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.BOSLAXLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678910
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 43 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. Catskill Mountains

    LeftEarly31 mi off the route

    Catskill Mountains is about 31 miles off the left, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  2. Finger Lakes

    RightEarly14 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Finger Lakes sits roughly 14 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  3. Chicago skyline

    Either sideQuarter in2 mi off the route

    Chicago skyline passes almost directly beneath about a quarter of the way in, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Strong candidate

  4. Pikes Peak

    RightThree quarters16 mi off the route

    Pikes Peak is about 16 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Good possibility

  5. San Juan Mountains

    RightThree quarters11 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, San Juan Mountains sits roughly 11 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  6. Monument Valley

    Either sideThree quarters6 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  7. Lake Powell

    RightThree quarters21 mi off the route

    Lake Powell is about 21 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Good possibility

  8. Grand Canyon

    LeftNear the end19 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Grand Canyon sits roughly 19 miles to the left.

    Strong candidate

  9. Lake Mead

    RightNear the end43 mi off the route

    Look right late in the flight for Lake Mead, about 43 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  10. San Gorgonio Mountain

    LeftNear the end31 mi off the route

    San Gorgonio Mountain is about 31 miles off the left, late in the flight.

    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

2,605 mi
Great-circle distance
273°
Course out of BOS
243°
Course into LAX
8
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?

Los Angeles → BostonLeft 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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