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Denver → Burbank

DEN–BUR · Denver International Airport to Hollywood Burbank 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.

DEN to BUR: 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.DENBURLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678910
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 61 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. Mount Elbert

    LeftEarly9 mi off the route

    Look left early in the flight for Mount Elbert, about 9 miles out.

    Good possibility

  2. Maroon Bells

    Either sideQuarter in0 mi off the route

    Maroon Bells 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

  3. Canyonlands

    Either sideQuarter in8 mi off the route

    Canyonlands 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

  4. Lake Mead

    RightThree quarters9 mi off the route

    Lake Mead is about 9 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Good possibility

Show 6 more along the way (Longs Peak, Pikes Peak, San Juan Mountains, Lake Powell, Grand Canyon, Zion National Park)

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

  1. Longs Peak

    RightEarly45 mi off the route

    Longs Peak is about 45 miles off the right, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  2. Pikes Peak

    LeftEarly57 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Pikes Peak sits roughly 57 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  3. San Juan Mountains

    LeftQuarter in49 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, San Juan Mountains sits roughly 49 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  4. Lake Powell

    LeftHalfway25 mi off the route

    Lake Powell is about 25 miles off the left, around the halfway mark.

    Good possibility

  5. Grand Canyon

    LeftHalfway61 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Grand Canyon sits roughly 61 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  6. Zion National Park

    RightHalfway30 mi off the route

    Look right around the halfway mark for Zion National Park, about 30 miles out.

    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

849 mi
Great-circle distance
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?

Burbank → DenverEither 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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