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Orlando → San Francisco

MCO–SFO · Orlando International Airport to San Francisco International Airport

Best bet

Right side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

Lake Powell leads it, with 5 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.

MCO to SFO: 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.MCOSFOLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789101112
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 57 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. Palo Duro Canyon

    Either sideHalfway2 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  2. Shiprock

    RightThree quarters25 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Shiprock sits roughly 25 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  3. Canyon de Chelly

    LeftThree quarters18 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Canyon de Chelly, about 18 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Monument Valley

    RightThree quarters32 mi off the route

    Monument Valley is about 32 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  5. Lake Powell

    RightThree quarters16 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Lake Powell sits roughly 16 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  6. Grand Canyon

    LeftThree quarters47 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Grand Canyon, about 47 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Zion National Park

    RightThree quarters22 mi off the route

    Zion National Park is about 22 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Good possibility

  8. Death Valley

    LeftNear the end57 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Death Valley sits roughly 57 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  9. Mount Whitney

    LeftNear the end56 mi off the route

    Look left late in the flight for Mount Whitney, about 56 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  10. Mono Lake

    RightNear the end39 mi off the route

    Mono Lake is about 39 miles off the right, late in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  11. Half Dome

    RightNear the end19 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Half Dome sits roughly 19 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  12. San Francisco Bay

    Either sideNear the end3 mi off the route

    Whether San Francisco Bay appears comes down to how you come into SFO, which is not something we can know in advance.

    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

2,441 mi
Great-circle distance
296°
Course out of MCO
273°
Course into SFO
10
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?

San Francisco → OrlandoLeft 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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