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Milwaukee → San Diego

MKE–SAN · Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport to San Diego International Airport

Best bet

Either side

Both sides workThe two sides come out close to level.

Both sides have something going for them, and the totals come out close enough that picking one would be a coin flip with extra steps.

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.

MKE to SAN: 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.MKESANLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE1234567891011
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 49 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. Pikes Peak

    RightHalfway39 mi off the route

    Pikes Peak is about 39 miles off the right, around the halfway mark.

    Distant possibility

  2. Great Sand Dunes

    LeftHalfway20 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Great Sand Dunes sits roughly 20 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  3. Sangre de Cristo Mountains

    LeftHalfway30 mi off the route

    Look left around the halfway mark for Sangre de Cristo Mountains, about 30 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. San Juan Mountains

    RightThree quarters48 mi off the route

    San Juan Mountains is about 48 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  5. Shiprock

    Either sideThree quarters2 mi off the route

    Shiprock 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. Canyon de Chelly

    LeftThree quarters17 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Canyon de Chelly, about 17 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Painted Desert

    LeftThree quarters42 mi off the route

    Painted Desert is about 42 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  8. Grand Canyon

    RightThree quarters49 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Grand Canyon sits roughly 49 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  9. San Francisco Peaks

    Either sideThree quarters8 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  10. Salton Sea

    Either sideNear the end6 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  11. San Jacinto Peak

    RightNear the end47 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, San Jacinto Peak sits roughly 47 miles to the right.

    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

1,736 mi
Great-circle distance
256°
Course out of MKE
238°
Course into SAN
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?

San Diego → MilwaukeeEither 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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