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Des Moines → Los Angeles

DSM–LAX · Des Moines International Airport to Los Angeles 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.

DSM to LAX: 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.DSMLAXLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 42 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

    Either sideHalfway3 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  2. Mount Elbert

    RightHalfway42 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Mount Elbert sits roughly 42 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  3. San Juan Mountains

    Either sideHalfway2 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  4. Monument Valley

    LeftThree quarters18 mi off the route

    Monument Valley is about 18 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Good possibility

  5. Lake Powell

    RightThree quarters11 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Lake Powell sits roughly 11 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  6. Grand Canyon

    LeftThree quarters28 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Grand Canyon, about 28 miles out.

    Good possibility

  7. Lake Mead

    RightThree quarters37 mi off the route

    Lake Mead is about 37 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  8. San Gorgonio Mountain

    LeftNear the end33 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, San Gorgonio Mountain sits roughly 33 miles to the left.

    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

1,444 mi
Great-circle distance
257°
Course out of DSM
242°
Course into LAX
6
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?

Los Angeles → Des MoinesEither 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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