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Los Angeles → Eagle

LAX–EGE · Los Angeles International Airport to Eagle County Regional 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 Zion National Park, 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.

LAX to EGE: 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.LAXEGELEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 43 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. San Gorgonio Mountain

    RightEarly43 mi off the route

    San Gorgonio Mountain is about 43 miles off the right, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  2. Lake Mead

    Either sideHalfway5 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  3. Zion National Park

    LeftHalfway19 mi off the route

    Look left around the halfway mark for Zion National Park, about 19 miles out.

    Good possibility

  4. Bryce Canyon

    LeftHalfway21 mi off the route

    Bryce Canyon is about 21 miles off the left, around the halfway mark.

    Distant possibility

  5. Lake Powell

    RightHalfway40 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Lake Powell sits roughly 40 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  6. Capitol Reef

    LeftThree quarters26 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Capitol Reef, about 26 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Canyonlands

    RightThree quarters15 mi off the route

    Canyonlands is about 15 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Good possibility

  8. Arches National Park

    LeftThree quarters13 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Arches National Park sits roughly 13 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  9. Maroon Bells

    RightNear the end33 mi off the route

    Maroon Bells sits close enough to EGE 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

747 mi
Great-circle distance
55°
Course out of LAX
62°
Course into EGE
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?

Eagle → Los AngelesRight 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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