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Los Angeles → Memphis

LAX–MEM · Los Angeles International Airport to Memphis International Airport

Best bet

Left side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

Meteor Crater leads it, with 2 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.

LAX to MEM: 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.LAXMEMLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 40 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

    Either sideEarly6 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  2. San Jacinto Peak

    RightEarly26 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, San Jacinto Peak sits roughly 26 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  3. Sedona red rocks

    Either sideQuarter in4 mi off the route

    Sedona red rocks passes almost directly beneath about a quarter of the way in, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Good possibility

  4. San Francisco Peaks

    LeftQuarter in37 mi off the route

    San Francisco Peaks is about 37 miles off the left, about a quarter of the way in.

    Distant possibility

  5. Meteor Crater

    LeftQuarter in10 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Meteor Crater sits roughly 10 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  6. Painted Desert

    LeftQuarter in37 mi off the route

    Look left about a quarter of the way in for Painted Desert, about 37 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Petrified Forest

    Either sideQuarter in7 mi off the route

    Petrified Forest passes almost directly beneath about a quarter of the way in, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Good possibility

  8. Sandia Mountains

    Either sideHalfway1 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  9. Palo Duro Canyon

    RightHalfway31 mi off the route

    Look right around the halfway mark for Palo Duro Canyon, about 31 miles out.

    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

1,615 mi
Great-circle distance
79°
Course out of LAX
96°
Course into MEM
5
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?

Memphis → 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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