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Las Vegas → Des Moines

LAS–DSM · Harry Reid International Airport to Des Moines International Airport

Best bet

Left side

Slight edgeEnough to break a tie, not enough to change seats over.

It is close. The left edges it, mostly on Canyonlands, but the right is not a bad seat.

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 DSM: 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.LASDSMLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678910
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 68 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

    Either sideEarly7 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  2. Zion National Park

    LeftEarly22 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Zion National Park sits roughly 22 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  3. Grand Canyon

    RightEarly68 mi off the route

    Look right early in the flight for Grand Canyon, about 68 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Bryce Canyon

    LeftQuarter in32 mi off the route

    Bryce Canyon is about 32 miles off the left, about a quarter of the way in.

    Distant possibility

  5. Lake Powell

    RightQuarter in27 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Lake Powell sits roughly 27 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  6. Canyonlands

    LeftQuarter in16 mi off the route

    Look left about a quarter of the way in for Canyonlands, about 16 miles out.

    Good possibility

  7. San Juan Mountains

    RightHalfway32 mi off the route

    San Juan Mountains is about 32 miles off the right, around the halfway mark.

    Distant possibility

  8. Maroon Bells

    LeftHalfway23 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Maroon Bells sits roughly 23 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  9. Mount Elbert

    LeftHalfway16 mi off the route

    Look left around the halfway mark for Mount Elbert, about 16 miles out.

    Good possibility

  10. Pikes Peak

    RightHalfway27 mi off the route

    Pikes Peak is about 27 miles off the right, around the halfway mark.

    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

1,213 mi
Great-circle distance
65°
Course out of LAS
79°
Course into DSM
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?

Des Moines → Las VegasRight 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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