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Denver → Anchorage

DEN–ANC · Denver International Airport to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport

Best bet

Right side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

Mount Fairweather 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.

DEN to ANC: 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.DENANCLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678910111213
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 76 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. Longs Peak

    LeftEarly23 mi off the route

    Longs Peak is about 23 miles off the left, early in the flight.

    Good possibility

  2. Wind River Range

    LeftEarly58 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Wind River Range sits roughly 58 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  3. Yellowstone Lake

    LeftQuarter in27 mi off the route

    Look left about a quarter of the way in for Yellowstone Lake, about 27 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Flathead Lake

    Either sideQuarter in1 mi off the route

    Flathead Lake 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

  5. Glacier National Park

    RightQuarter in50 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Glacier National Park sits roughly 50 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  6. Glacier Bay

    RightThree quarters28 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Glacier Bay, about 28 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Mount Fairweather

    RightThree quarters17 mi off the route

    Mount Fairweather is about 17 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Strong candidate

  8. the Malaspina Glacier

    RightNear the end33 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, the Malaspina Glacier sits roughly 33 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  9. Mount Logan

    RightNear the end76 mi off the route

    Look right late in the flight for Mount Logan, about 76 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  10. Mount Saint Elias

    RightNear the end51 mi off the route

    Mount Saint Elias is about 51 miles off the right, late in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  11. Prince William Sound

    Either sideNear the end8 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  12. the Chugach Mountains

    RightNear the end40 mi off the route

    Look right late in the flight for the Chugach Mountains, about 40 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  13. Turnagain Arm

    LeftNear the end11 mi off the route

    Turnagain Arm sits close enough to ANC that the runway in use and the procedure of the day decide whether it shows up at all.

    Runway dependent

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

2,400 mi
Great-circle distance
323°
Course out of DEN
287°
Course into ANC
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?

Anchorage → DenverLeft 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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