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Washington → San Diego

DCA–SAN · Ronald Reagan Washington National 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.

DCA 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.DCASANLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 57 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

    RightQuarter in12 mi off the route

    Gateway Arch is about 12 miles off the right, about a quarter of the way in.

    Distant possibility

  2. Sandia Mountains

    LeftThree quarters42 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Sandia Mountains sits roughly 42 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  3. Petrified Forest

    Either sideThree quarters6 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

  4. Painted Desert

    RightThree quarters38 mi off the route

    Painted Desert is about 38 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  5. Meteor Crater

    RightThree quarters24 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Meteor Crater sits roughly 24 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  6. San Francisco Peaks

    RightThree quarters57 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for San Francisco Peaks, about 57 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Sedona red rocks

    RightThree quarters27 mi off the route

    Sedona red rocks is about 27 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  8. Salton Sea

    RightNear the end10 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Salton Sea sits roughly 10 miles to the right.

    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

2,271 mi
Great-circle distance
272°
Course out of DCA
248°
Course into SAN
7
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 → WashingtonLeft 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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