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Cincinnati → Portland

CVG–PDX · Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport to Portland International Airport

Best bet

Left side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

Mount Hood leads it, with 6 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.

CVG to PDX: 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.CVGPDXLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678910111213
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 87 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. Badlands

    LeftHalfway9 mi off the route

    Badlands is about 9 miles off the left, around the halfway mark.

    Good possibility

  2. Black Hills

    LeftHalfway13 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Black Hills sits roughly 13 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  3. Devils Tower

    RightHalfway22 mi off the route

    Look right around the halfway mark for Devils Tower, about 22 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Bighorn Mountains

    LeftThree quarters16 mi off the route

    Bighorn Mountains is about 16 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Good possibility

  5. Yellowstone Lake

    LeftThree quarters36 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Yellowstone Lake sits roughly 36 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  6. Hells Canyon

    Either sideNear the end6 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  7. Wallowa Mountains

    LeftNear the end20 mi off the route

    Wallowa Mountains is about 20 miles off the left, late in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  8. Mount Adams

    RightNear the end42 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Mount Adams sits roughly 42 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  9. Mount Hood

    LeftNear the end15 mi off the route

    Look left late in the flight for Mount Hood, about 15 miles out.

    Strong candidate

  10. Mount Rainier

    RightNear the end87 mi off the route

    Mount Rainier is about 87 miles off the right, late in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  11. Columbia River Gorge

    Either sideNear the end8 mi off the route

    Columbia River Gorge sits close enough to PDX that the runway in use and the procedure of the day decide whether it shows up at all.

    Runway dependent

  12. Mount Jefferson

    LeftNear the end63 mi off the route

    Look left late in the flight for Mount Jefferson, about 63 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  13. Mount St. Helens

    RightNear the end42 mi off the route

    Mount St. Helens is about 42 miles off the right, late in the flight.

    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

1,970 mi
Great-circle distance
296°
Course out of CVG
270°
Course into PDX
11
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?

Portland → CincinnatiRight 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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