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Window Seat

Washington → Las Vegas

IAD–LAS · Washington Dulles International Airport to Harry Reid International Airport

Best bet

Left side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

Monument Valley leads it, with 3 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 LAS: 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.IADLASLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 51 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

    RightThree quarters51 mi off the route

    Pikes Peak is about 51 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  2. Great Sand Dunes

    LeftThree quarters20 mi off the route

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

    Distant possibility

  3. Sangre de Cristo Mountains

    LeftThree quarters30 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Sangre de Cristo Mountains, about 30 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. San Juan Mountains

    RightThree quarters24 mi off the route

    San Juan Mountains is about 24 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Good possibility

  5. Monument Valley

    LeftNear the end15 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Monument Valley sits roughly 15 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  6. Lake Powell

    Either sideNear the end1 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  7. Grand Canyon

    LeftNear the end46 mi off the route

    Grand Canyon is about 46 miles off the left, late in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  8. Zion National Park

    RightNear the end40 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Zion National Park sits roughly 40 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  9. Lake Mead

    Either sideNear the end1 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

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

2,061 mi
Great-circle distance
277°
Course out of IAD
253°
Course into LAS
7
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?

Las Vegas → WashingtonRight 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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