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Miami → Portland

MIA–PDX · Miami International Airport to Portland International Airport

Best bet

Right side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

Sawtooth Range 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.

MIA to PDX: 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.MIAPDXLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789101112
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 95 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. the Everglades

    Either sideEarly6 mi off the route

    the Everglades sits close enough to MIA that the runway in use and the procedure of the day decide whether it shows up at all.

    Runway dependent

  2. Lake Okeechobee

    RightEarly39 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Lake Okeechobee sits roughly 39 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  3. Tampa Bay

    RightEarly11 mi off the route

    Look right early in the flight for Tampa Bay, about 11 miles out.

    Good possibility

  4. Longs Peak

    LeftThree quarters24 mi off the route

    Longs Peak is about 24 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Good possibility

  5. Craters of the Moon

    Either sideThree quarters6 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  6. Sawtooth Range

    RightNear the end11 mi off the route

    Look right late in the flight for Sawtooth Range, about 11 miles out.

    Good possibility

  7. Mount Jefferson

    LeftNear the end50 mi off the route

    Mount Jefferson is about 50 miles off the left, late in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  8. Mount Hood

    Either sideNear the end2 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  9. Mount Adams

    RightNear the end56 mi off the route

    Look right late in the flight for Mount Adams, about 56 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  10. Columbia River Gorge

    RightNear the end19 mi off the route

    Whether Columbia River Gorge appears comes down to how you come into PDX, which is not something we can know in advance.

    Runway dependent

  11. Mount Rainier

    RightNear the end95 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Mount Rainier sits roughly 95 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  12. Mount St. Helens

    RightNear the end46 mi off the route

    Look right late in the flight for Mount St. Helens, about 46 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

2,697 mi
Great-circle distance
312°
Course out of MIA
286°
Course into PDX
8
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?

Portland → MiamiLeft 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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