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Denver → Long Beach

DEN–LGB · Denver International Airport to Long Beach Airport

Best bet

Left side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

Lake Powell 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 LGB: 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.DENLGBLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789101112
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 55 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

    RightEarly46 mi off the route

    Longs Peak is about 46 miles off the right, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  2. Pikes Peak

    LeftEarly55 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Pikes Peak sits roughly 55 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  3. Mount Elbert

    Either sideEarly5 mi off the route

    Mount Elbert passes almost directly beneath early in the flight, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Good possibility

  4. Maroon Bells

    Either sideQuarter in5 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

  5. San Juan Mountains

    LeftQuarter in42 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, San Juan Mountains sits roughly 42 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  6. Canyonlands

    RightQuarter in18 mi off the route

    Look right about a quarter of the way in for Canyonlands, about 18 miles out.

    Good possibility

  7. Monument Valley

    LeftHalfway45 mi off the route

    Monument Valley is about 45 miles off the left, around the halfway mark.

    Distant possibility

  8. Lake Powell

    LeftHalfway11 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Lake Powell sits roughly 11 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  9. Grand Canyon

    LeftHalfway45 mi off the route

    Look left around the halfway mark for Grand Canyon, about 45 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  10. Lake Mead

    RightThree quarters29 mi off the route

    Lake Mead is about 29 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  11. San Gorgonio Mountain

    LeftNear the end25 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, San Gorgonio Mountain sits roughly 25 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  12. San Jacinto Peak

    LeftNear the end46 mi off the route

    Look left late in the flight for San Jacinto Peak, about 46 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

853 mi
Great-circle distance
245°
Course out of DEN
237°
Course into LGB
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?

Long Beach → DenverRight 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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