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Baltimore → San Diego

BWI–SAN · Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport to San Diego International Airport

Best bet

Right side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

Salton Sea leads it, with 5 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.

BWI to SAN: 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.BWISANLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 53 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. the National Mall

    LeftEarly20 mi off the route

    the National Mall sits close enough to BWI that the runway in use and the procedure of the day decide whether it shows up at all.

    Runway dependent

  2. Gateway Arch

    Either sideQuarter in4 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  3. Rio Grande Gorge

    RightThree quarters24 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Rio Grande Gorge, about 24 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Petrified Forest

    Either sideThree quarters1 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  5. Painted Desert

    RightThree quarters33 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Painted Desert sits roughly 33 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  6. Meteor Crater

    RightThree quarters20 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Meteor Crater, about 20 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. San Francisco Peaks

    RightThree quarters53 mi off the route

    San Francisco Peaks is about 53 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  8. Sedona red rocks

    RightNear the end24 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Sedona red rocks sits roughly 24 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  9. Salton Sea

    RightNear the end9 mi off the route

    Look right late in the flight for Salton Sea, about 9 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

2,290 mi
Great-circle distance
272°
Course out of BWI
247°
Course into SAN
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?

San Diego → BaltimoreLeft 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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