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Los Angeles → Everett

LAX–PAE · Los Angeles International Airport to Seattle Paine Field International Airport

Best bet

Left side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

Mount Hood leads it, with 7 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 PAE: 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.LAXPAELEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678910111213
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 98 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. Mount Whitney

    RightQuarter in40 mi off the route

    Mount Whitney is about 40 miles off the right, about a quarter of the way in.

    Distant possibility

  2. Half Dome

    LeftQuarter in12 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Half Dome sits roughly 12 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  3. Mono Lake

    RightQuarter in20 mi off the route

    Look right about a quarter of the way in for Mono Lake, about 20 miles out.

    Good possibility

  4. Lake Tahoe

    LeftHalfway20 mi off the route

    Lake Tahoe is about 20 miles off the left, around the halfway mark.

    Good possibility

  5. Mount Shasta

    LeftHalfway98 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Mount Shasta sits roughly 98 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  6. Three Sisters

    LeftThree quarters35 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Three Sisters, about 35 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Mount Jefferson

    LeftThree quarters28 mi off the route

    Mount Jefferson is about 28 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Good possibility

  8. Mount Hood

    LeftThree quarters12 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Mount Hood sits roughly 12 miles to the left.

    Strong candidate

  9. Columbia River Gorge

    LeftThree quarters12 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Columbia River Gorge, about 12 miles out.

    Good possibility

  10. Mount Adams

    RightNear the end10 mi off the route

    Mount Adams is about 10 miles off the right, late in the flight.

    Good possibility

  11. Mount St. Helens

    LeftNear the end23 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Mount St. Helens sits roughly 23 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  12. Mount Rainier

    Either sideNear the end7 mi off the route

    Mount Rainier passes almost directly beneath late in the flight, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Strong candidate

  13. Puget Sound

    LeftNear the end8 mi off the route

    Puget Sound sits close enough to PAE 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

985 mi
Great-circle distance
349°
Course out of LAX
347°
Course into PAE
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?

Everett → 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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