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Kahului → Denver

OGG–DEN · Kahului Airport to Denver International Airport

Best bet

Left side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

Longs Peak 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.

OGG to DEN: 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.OGGDENLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE1234567
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. Haleakalā

    RightEarly17 mi off the route

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

    Runway dependent

  2. Monterey Bay

    Either sideThree quarters4 mi off the route

    Monterey Bay 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. Half Dome

    LeftThree quarters27 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Half Dome, about 27 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Longs Peak

    LeftNear the end34 mi off the route

    Longs Peak is about 34 miles off the left, late in the flight.

    Distant possibility

Show 3 more along the way (Mono Lake, Maroon Bells, Mount Elbert)

Further off the route, closer to an airport, or both. Still in flight order, still numbered to match the diagram.

  1. Mono Lake

    LeftThree quarters37 mi off the route

    Mono Lake is about 37 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  2. Maroon Bells

    RightNear the end36 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Maroon Bells sits roughly 36 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  3. Mount Elbert

    RightNear the end38 mi off the route

    Look right late in the flight for Mount Elbert, about 38 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

3,299 mi
Great-circle distance
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?

Denver → KahuluiRight 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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