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Window Seat

Des Moines → Santa Ana

DSM–SNA · Des Moines International Airport to John Wayne Airport

Best bet

Right side

Strong betOne side has clearly more to look at.

Pikes Peak is the main event, and it has company: 2 more worth looking at out the right.

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 SNA: 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.DSMSNALEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 62 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

    RightHalfway11 mi off the route

    Pikes Peak is about 11 miles off the right, around the halfway mark.

    Good possibility

  2. San Juan Mountains

    RightHalfway12 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, San Juan Mountains sits roughly 12 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  3. Monument Valley

    Either sideThree quarters3 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  4. Lake Powell

    RightThree quarters33 mi off the route

    Lake Powell is about 33 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  5. Grand Canyon

    Either sideThree quarters5 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  6. San Francisco Peaks

    LeftThree quarters62 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for San Francisco Peaks, about 62 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. San Gorgonio Mountain

    Either sideNear the end4 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  8. San Jacinto Peak

    LeftNear the end25 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, San Jacinto Peak sits roughly 25 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

1,426 mi
Great-circle distance
256°
Course out of DSM
241°
Course into SNA
5
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?

Santa Ana → 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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