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Dallas–Fort Worth → Portland

DFW–PDX · Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Portland International 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.

DFW to PDX: 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.DFWPDXLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE1234567891011121314
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 96 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. Sangre de Cristo Mountains

    LeftHalfway39 mi off the route

    Sangre de Cristo Mountains is about 39 miles off the left, around the halfway mark.

    Distant possibility

  2. Great Sand Dunes

    LeftHalfway31 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Great Sand Dunes sits roughly 31 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  3. Pikes Peak

    RightHalfway46 mi off the route

    Look right around the halfway mark for Pikes Peak, about 46 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Mount Elbert

    RightHalfway19 mi off the route

    Mount Elbert is about 19 miles off the right, around the halfway mark.

    Good possibility

  5. Maroon Bells

    Either sideHalfway1 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  6. Uinta Mountains

    Either sideHalfway1 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  7. Wasatch Range

    LeftHalfway55 mi off the route

    Wasatch Range is about 55 miles off the left, around the halfway mark.

    Distant possibility

  8. Great Salt Lake

    LeftThree quarters39 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Great Salt Lake sits roughly 39 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  9. Mount Jefferson

    LeftNear the end42 mi off the route

    Look left late in the flight for Mount Jefferson, about 42 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  10. Mount Hood

    Either sideNear the end4 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  11. Columbia River Gorge

    RightNear the end23 mi off the route

    Columbia River Gorge sits close enough to PDX that the runway in use and the procedure of the day decide whether it shows up at all.

    Runway dependent

  12. Mount Adams

    RightNear the end61 mi off the route

    Look right late in the flight for Mount Adams, about 61 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  13. Mount Rainier

    RightNear the end96 mi off the route

    Mount Rainier is about 96 miles off the right, late in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  14. Mount St. Helens

    RightNear the end47 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Mount St. Helens sits roughly 47 miles to the right.

    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

1,614 mi
Great-circle distance
310°
Course out of DFW
294°
Course into PDX
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?

Portland → Dallas–Fort WorthEither 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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