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Dallas → Seattle

DAL–SEA · Dallas Love Field to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport

Best bet

Left 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 left.

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.

DAL to SEA: 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.DALSEALEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE1234567891011
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 73 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 sideHalfway3 mi off the route

    Pikes Peak passes almost directly beneath around the halfway mark, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Strong candidate

  2. Hells Canyon

    RightThree quarters11 mi off the route

    Hells Canyon is about 11 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Good possibility

  3. Wallowa Mountains

    LeftThree quarters16 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Wallowa Mountains sits roughly 16 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  4. Mount Rainier

    LeftNear the end24 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Mount Rainier sits roughly 24 miles to the left.

    Strong candidate

Show 7 more along the way (Mount Elbert, Longs Peak, Bear Lake, Craters of the Moon, Sawtooth Range, Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens)

Further off the route, closer to an airport, or both. Still in flight order, still numbered to match the diagram.

  1. Mount Elbert

    LeftHalfway36 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Mount Elbert sits roughly 36 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  2. Longs Peak

    RightHalfway53 mi off the route

    Look right around the halfway mark for Longs Peak, about 53 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  3. Bear Lake

    LeftThree quarters34 mi off the route

    Bear Lake is about 34 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  4. Craters of the Moon

    LeftThree quarters16 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Craters of the Moon sits roughly 16 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  5. Sawtooth Range

    LeftThree quarters28 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Sawtooth Range, about 28 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  6. Mount Adams

    LeftNear the end57 mi off the route

    Look left late in the flight for Mount Adams, about 57 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Mount St. Helens

    LeftNear the end73 mi off the route

    Mount St. Helens is about 73 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

1,668 mi
Great-circle distance
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?

Seattle → DallasRight 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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