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Colorado Springs → Las Vegas

COS–LAS · Colorado Springs Airport to Harry Reid International Airport

Best bet

Left side

Slight edgeEnough to break a tie, not enough to change seats over.

It is close. The left edges it, mostly on Lake Powell, but the right is not a bad seat.

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.

COS 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.COSLASLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 59 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. Pikes Peak

    Either sideEarly7 mi off the route

    Pikes Peak sits close enough to COS that the runway in use and the procedure of the day decide whether it shows up at all.

    Runway dependent

  2. Mount Elbert

    RightEarly46 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Mount Elbert sits roughly 46 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  3. San Juan Mountains

    Either sideQuarter in7 mi off the route

    San Juan Mountains 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

  4. Canyonlands

    RightHalfway35 mi off the route

    Canyonlands is about 35 miles off the right, around the halfway mark.

    Distant possibility

  5. Monument Valley

    LeftHalfway37 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Monument Valley sits roughly 37 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  6. Lake Powell

    LeftThree quarters15 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Lake Powell, about 15 miles out.

    Good possibility

  7. Grand Canyon

    LeftThree quarters59 mi off the route

    Grand Canyon is about 59 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  8. Zion National Park

    RightThree quarters30 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Zion National Park sits roughly 30 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  9. Lake Mead

    Either sideNear the end5 mi off the route

    Lake Mead passes almost directly beneath late in the flight, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Strong candidate

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

603 mi
Great-circle distance
255°
Course out of COS
249°
Course into LAS
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 → Colorado SpringsRight 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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