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Window Seat

Houston → Seattle

IAH–SEA · George Bush Intercontinental Airport to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport

Best bet

Left side

Strong betOne side has clearly more to look at.

Mount Rainier is the main event, and it has company: 8 more worth looking at out the left.

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.

IAH to SEA: 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.IAHSEALEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789101112131415
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 71 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. Palo Duro Canyon

    LeftQuarter in27 mi off the route

    Palo Duro Canyon is about 27 miles off the left, about a quarter of the way in.

    Distant possibility

  2. Sangre de Cristo Mountains

    LeftHalfway40 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Sangre de Cristo Mountains sits roughly 40 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  3. Great Sand Dunes

    LeftHalfway33 mi off the route

    Look left around the halfway mark for Great Sand Dunes, about 33 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Pikes Peak

    RightHalfway41 mi off the route

    Pikes Peak is about 41 miles off the right, around the halfway mark.

    Distant possibility

  5. Mount Elbert

    Either sideHalfway5 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  6. Maroon Bells

    LeftHalfway17 mi off the route

    Look left around the halfway mark for Maroon Bells, about 17 miles out.

    Good possibility

  7. Uinta Mountains

    LeftThree quarters41 mi off the route

    Uinta Mountains is about 41 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  8. Bear Lake

    Either sideThree quarters6 mi off the route

    Bear Lake passes almost directly beneath about three quarters of the way, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Good possibility

  9. Craters of the Moon

    Either sideThree quarters5 mi off the route

    Craters of the Moon passes almost directly beneath about three quarters of the way, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Good possibility

  10. Sawtooth Range

    LeftThree quarters9 mi off the route

    Sawtooth Range is about 9 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Good possibility

  11. Hells Canyon

    RightThree quarters24 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Hells Canyon sits roughly 24 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  12. Wallowa Mountains

    Either sideThree quarters4 mi off the route

    Wallowa Mountains passes almost directly beneath about three quarters of the way, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Good possibility

  13. Mount Adams

    LeftNear the end54 mi off the route

    Mount Adams is about 54 miles off the left, late in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  14. Mount St. Helens

    LeftNear the end71 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Mount St. Helens sits roughly 71 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  15. Mount Rainier

    LeftNear the end22 mi off the route

    Look left late in the flight for Mount Rainier, about 22 miles out.

    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

1,872 mi
Great-circle distance
318°
Course out of IAH
300°
Course into SEA
11
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?

Seattle → HoustonRight 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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