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Washington → Los Angeles

DCA–LAX · Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Los Angeles International Airport

Best bet

Either side

Both sides workThe two sides come out close to level.

Both sides have something going for them, and the totals come out close enough that picking one would be a coin flip with extra steps.

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.

DCA 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.DCALAXLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678
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. Gateway Arch

    LeftQuarter in22 mi off the route

    Gateway Arch is about 22 miles off the left, about a quarter of the way in.

    Distant possibility

  2. Sangre de Cristo Mountains

    RightThree quarters29 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Sangre de Cristo Mountains sits roughly 29 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  3. Shiprock

    RightThree quarters14 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Shiprock, about 14 miles out.

    Good possibility

  4. Canyon de Chelly

    LeftThree quarters11 mi off the route

    Canyon de Chelly is about 11 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  5. San Francisco Peaks

    LeftThree quarters31 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, San Francisco Peaks sits roughly 31 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  6. Grand Canyon

    RightThree quarters25 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Grand Canyon, about 25 miles out.

    Good possibility

  7. San Jacinto Peak

    LeftNear the end43 mi off the route

    San Jacinto Peak is about 43 miles off the left, late in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  8. San Gorgonio Mountain

    LeftNear the end21 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, San Gorgonio Mountain sits roughly 21 miles to the left.

    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

2,306 mi
Great-circle distance
275°
Course out of DCA
249°
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 → WashingtonEither 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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