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Dallas–Fort Worth → Anchorage

DFW–ANC · Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport

Best bet

Right side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

Glacier Bay 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.

DFW 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.DFWANCLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789101112
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 67 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. Bighorn Mountains

    RightQuarter in36 mi off the route

    Bighorn Mountains is about 36 miles off the right, about a quarter of the way in.

    Distant possibility

  2. Flathead Lake

    LeftHalfway45 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Flathead Lake sits roughly 45 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  3. Glacier National Park

    Either sideHalfway6 mi off the route

    Glacier National Park passes almost directly beneath around the halfway mark, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Strong candidate

  4. the Canadian Rockies

    RightHalfway66 mi off the route

    the Canadian Rockies is about 66 miles off the right, around the halfway mark.

    Distant possibility

  5. Glacier Bay

    RightThree quarters14 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Glacier Bay sits roughly 14 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  6. Mount Fairweather

    Either sideThree quarters5 mi off the route

    Mount Fairweather passes almost directly beneath about three quarters of the way, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Strong candidate

  7. the Malaspina Glacier

    RightNear the end24 mi off the route

    the Malaspina Glacier is about 24 miles off the right, late in the flight.

    Good possibility

  8. Mount Logan

    RightNear the end67 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Mount Logan sits roughly 67 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  9. Mount Saint Elias

    RightNear the end42 mi off the route

    Look right late in the flight for Mount Saint Elias, about 42 miles out.

    Good possibility

  10. Prince William Sound

    LeftNear the end11 mi off the route

    Prince William Sound is about 11 miles off the left, late in the flight.

    Good possibility

  11. the Chugach Mountains

    RightNear the end38 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, the Chugach Mountains sits roughly 38 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  12. Turnagain Arm

    LeftNear the end11 mi off the route

    Whether Turnagain Arm appears comes down to how you come into ANC, which is not something we can know in advance.

    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

3,038 mi
Great-circle distance
326°
Course out of DFW
285°
Course into ANC
9
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 → Dallas–Fort WorthLeft 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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