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Des Moines → Las Vegas

DSM–LAS · Des Moines International Airport to Harry Reid International Airport

Best bet

Right side

Slight edgeEnough to break a tie, not enough to change seats over.

It is close. The right edges it, mostly on Canyonlands, but the left is not a bad seat.

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.

DSM to LAS: 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.DSMLASLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678910
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 68 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. Pikes Peak

    LeftHalfway27 mi off the route

    Pikes Peak is about 27 miles off the left, around the halfway mark.

    Good possibility

  2. Mount Elbert

    RightHalfway16 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Mount Elbert sits roughly 16 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  3. Maroon Bells

    RightHalfway23 mi off the route

    Look right around the halfway mark for Maroon Bells, about 23 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. San Juan Mountains

    LeftThree quarters32 mi off the route

    San Juan Mountains is about 32 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  5. Canyonlands

    RightThree quarters16 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Canyonlands sits roughly 16 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  6. Lake Powell

    LeftThree quarters27 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Lake Powell, about 27 miles out.

    Good possibility

  7. Bryce Canyon

    RightThree quarters32 mi off the route

    Bryce Canyon is about 32 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  8. Grand Canyon

    LeftNear the end68 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Grand Canyon sits roughly 68 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  9. Zion National Park

    RightNear the end22 mi off the route

    Look right late in the flight for Zion National Park, about 22 miles out.

    Good possibility

  10. Lake Mead

    Either sideNear the end7 mi off the route

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

    Good 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

1,213 mi
Great-circle distance
259°
Course out of DSM
245°
Course into LAS
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?

Las Vegas → Des MoinesLeft 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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