Skip to content
WanderNerd
Check a flight

Window Seat

Las Vegas → Denver

LAS–DEN · Harry Reid International Airport to Denver International Airport

Best bet

Either side

Both sides workThe two sides come out close to level.

Both sides have something going for them, and the totals come out close enough that picking one would be a coin flip with extra steps.

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.

LAS 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.LASDENLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE1234567891011
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 55 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. Lake Mead

    RightEarly9 mi off the route

    Lake Mead is about 9 miles off the right, early in the flight.

    Good possibility

  2. Zion National Park

    LeftQuarter in14 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Zion National Park sits roughly 14 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  3. Bryce Canyon

    LeftQuarter in22 mi off the route

    Look left about a quarter of the way in for Bryce Canyon, about 22 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Lake Powell

    RightQuarter in39 mi off the route

    Lake Powell is about 39 miles off the right, about a quarter of the way in.

    Distant possibility

  5. Capitol Reef

    LeftHalfway33 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Capitol Reef sits roughly 33 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  6. Canyonlands

    Either sideHalfway2 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  7. Arches National Park

    LeftHalfway29 mi off the route

    Arches National Park is about 29 miles off the left, around the halfway mark.

    Distant possibility

  8. San Juan Mountains

    RightThree quarters55 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, San Juan Mountains sits roughly 55 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  9. Maroon Bells

    Either sideThree quarters4 mi off the route

    Maroon Bells 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. Mount Elbert

    RightThree quarters13 mi off the route

    Mount Elbert is about 13 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Good possibility

  11. Longs Peak

    LeftNear the end44 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Longs Peak sits roughly 44 miles to the left.

    Distant 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

627 mi
Great-circle distance
62°
Course out of LAS
69°
Course into DEN
9
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 → Las VegasEither 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.

Keep nerding