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Washington → Honolulu

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

Best bet

Right 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.

IAD to HNL: 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.IADHNLLEFT 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. Longs Peak

    RightQuarter in26 mi off the route

    Longs Peak is about 26 miles off the right, about a quarter of the way in.

    Good possibility

  2. Mount Elbert

    LeftQuarter in46 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Mount Elbert sits roughly 46 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  3. Mono Lake

    RightHalfway11 mi off the route

    Look right around the halfway mark for Mono Lake, about 11 miles out.

    Good 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. Monterey Bay

    LeftHalfway27 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Monterey Bay sits roughly 27 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  6. San Francisco Bay

    RightHalfway35 mi off the route

    Look right around the halfway mark for San Francisco Bay, about 35 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Diamond Head

    Either sideNear the end8 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

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
281°
Course out of IAD
235°
Course into HNL
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?

Honolulu → WashingtonLeft 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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