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Spokane → Denver

GEG–DEN · Spokane International Airport to Denver International Airport

Best bet

Right side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

Grand Teton leads it, with 1 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.

GEG to DEN: 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.GEGDENLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 40 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. Bitterroot Range

    LeftEarly36 mi off the route

    Bitterroot Range is about 36 miles off the left, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  2. Yellowstone Lake

    LeftHalfway39 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Yellowstone Lake sits roughly 39 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  3. Grand Teton

    RightHalfway13 mi off the route

    Look right around the halfway mark for Grand Teton, about 13 miles out.

    Strong candidate

  4. Wind River Range

    Either sideHalfway5 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  5. Longs Peak

    RightNear the end15 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Longs Peak sits roughly 15 miles to the right.

    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

835 mi
Great-circle distance
125°
Course out of GEG
134°
Course into DEN
4
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?

Denver → SpokaneLeft 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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