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Detroit → San Diego

DTW–SAN · Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to San Diego International Airport

Best bet

Right side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

San Francisco Peaks leads it, with 6 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.

DTW to SAN: 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.DTWSANLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE1234567891011
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 69 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. Chicago skyline

    RightEarly15 mi off the route

    Chicago skyline is about 15 miles off the right, early in the flight.

    Good possibility

  2. Great Sand Dunes

    RightThree quarters20 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Great Sand Dunes sits roughly 20 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  3. Sangre de Cristo Mountains

    RightThree quarters9 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Sangre de Cristo Mountains, about 9 miles out.

    Good possibility

  4. Shiprock

    RightThree quarters27 mi off the route

    Shiprock is about 27 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  5. Canyon de Chelly

    RightThree quarters10 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Canyon de Chelly sits roughly 10 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  6. Painted Desert

    LeftThree quarters18 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Painted Desert, about 18 miles out.

    Good possibility

  7. Meteor Crater

    LeftThree quarters24 mi off the route

    Meteor Crater is about 24 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  8. Grand Canyon

    RightThree quarters69 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Grand Canyon sits roughly 69 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  9. San Francisco Peaks

    RightThree quarters12 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for San Francisco Peaks, about 12 miles out.

    Good possibility

  10. Sedona red rocks

    LeftThree quarters15 mi off the route

    Sedona red rocks is about 15 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  11. Salton Sea

    Either sideNear the end2 mi off the route

    Salton Sea 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

1,952 mi
Great-circle distance
262°
Course out of DTW
241°
Course into SAN
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?

San Diego → DetroitLeft 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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