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Honolulu → Washington

HNL–IAD · Daniel K. Inouye International Airport to Washington Dulles International Airport

Best bet

Left side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

Mono Lake leads it, with 2 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.

HNL to IAD: 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.HNLIADLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE1234567
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 46 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. Diamond Head

    Either sideEarly8 mi off the route

    Diamond Head sits close enough to HNL that the runway in use and the procedure of the day decide whether it shows up at all.

    Runway dependent

  2. San Francisco Bay

    LeftHalfway35 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, San Francisco Bay sits roughly 35 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  3. Monterey Bay

    RightHalfway27 mi off the route

    Look right around the halfway mark for Monterey Bay, about 27 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Half Dome

    Either sideHalfway0 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  5. Mono Lake

    LeftHalfway11 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Mono Lake sits roughly 11 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  6. Mount Elbert

    RightThree quarters46 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Mount Elbert, about 46 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Longs Peak

    LeftThree quarters26 mi off the route

    Longs Peak is about 26 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    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

4,809 mi
Great-circle distance
55°
Course out of HNL
101°
Course into IAD
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?

Washington → HonoluluRight 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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