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Dallas–Fort Worth → San Francisco

DFW–SFO · Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to San Francisco International Airport

Best bet

Left side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

Grand Canyon leads it, with 5 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 SFO: 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.DFWSFOLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678910
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 46 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. Sandia Mountains

    LeftHalfway9 mi off the route

    Sandia Mountains is about 9 miles off the left, around the halfway mark.

    Good possibility

  2. Canyon de Chelly

    RightHalfway13 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Canyon de Chelly sits roughly 13 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  3. Painted Desert

    LeftHalfway38 mi off the route

    Look left around the halfway mark for Painted Desert, about 38 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Lake Powell

    RightHalfway42 mi off the route

    Lake Powell is about 42 miles off the right, around the halfway mark.

    Distant possibility

  5. Grand Canyon

    LeftThree quarters21 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Grand Canyon sits roughly 21 miles to the left.

    Strong candidate

  6. Lake Mead

    LeftThree quarters35 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Lake Mead, about 35 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Death Valley

    LeftThree quarters43 mi off the route

    Death Valley is about 43 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  8. Mount Whitney

    LeftThree quarters46 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Mount Whitney sits roughly 46 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  9. Half Dome

    RightNear the end25 mi off the route

    Look right late in the flight for Half Dome, about 25 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  10. San Francisco Bay

    Either sideNear the end3 mi off the route

    Whether San Francisco Bay appears comes down to how you come into SFO, 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

1,461 mi
Great-circle distance
290°
Course out of DFW
275°
Course into SFO
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?

San Francisco → Dallas–Fort WorthRight 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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