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Miami → San Francisco

MIA–SFO · Miami International Airport to San Francisco International Airport

Best bet

Left side

Strong betOne side has clearly more to look at.

Grand Canyon is the main event, and it has company: 5 more worth looking at out the left.

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 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.MIASFOLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789101112
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 60 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 sideEarly0 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. Sandia Mountains

    Either sideThree quarters2 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  3. Canyon de Chelly

    RightThree quarters22 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Canyon de Chelly, about 22 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Painted Desert

    LeftThree quarters29 mi off the route

    Painted Desert is about 29 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  5. San Francisco Peaks

    LeftThree quarters60 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, San Francisco Peaks sits roughly 60 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  6. Lake Powell

    RightThree quarters50 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Lake Powell, about 50 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Grand Canyon

    LeftThree quarters14 mi off the route

    Grand Canyon is about 14 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Strong candidate

  8. Lake Mead

    LeftThree quarters29 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Lake Mead sits roughly 29 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  9. Death Valley

    LeftNear the end39 mi off the route

    Look left late in the flight for Death Valley, about 39 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  10. Mount Whitney

    LeftNear the end43 mi off the route

    Mount Whitney is about 43 miles off the left, late in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  11. Half Dome

    RightNear the end27 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Half Dome sits roughly 27 miles to the right.

    Distant 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

2,581 mi
Great-circle distance
299°
Course out of MIA
276°
Course into SFO
9
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 → MiamiRight 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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