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Memphis → Los Angeles

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

Best bet

Right 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.

MEM to LAX: 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.MEMLAXLEFT 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. Palo Duro Canyon

    LeftHalfway31 mi off the route

    Palo Duro Canyon is about 31 miles off the left, around the halfway mark.

    Distant possibility

  2. 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

  3. Petrified Forest

    Either sideThree quarters7 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  4. Painted Desert

    RightThree quarters37 mi off the route

    Painted Desert is about 37 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  5. Meteor Crater

    RightThree quarters10 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Meteor Crater sits roughly 10 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  6. San Francisco Peaks

    RightThree quarters37 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for San Francisco Peaks, about 37 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Sedona red rocks

    Either sideThree quarters4 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  8. San Jacinto Peak

    LeftNear the end26 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, San Jacinto Peak sits roughly 26 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  9. San Gorgonio Mountain

    Either sideNear the end6 mi off the route

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

    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

1,615 mi
Great-circle distance
276°
Course out of MEM
259°
Course into LAX
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?

Los Angeles → MemphisLeft 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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