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Omaha → Los Angeles

OMA–LAX · Eppley Airfield to Los Angeles International Airport

Best bet

Left side

Strong betOne side has clearly more to look at.

San Juan Mountains is the main event, and it has company: 4 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.

OMA 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.OMALAXLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 45 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

    LeftHalfway11 mi off the route

    Pikes Peak is about 11 miles off the left, around the halfway mark.

    Good possibility

  2. Mount Elbert

    RightHalfway35 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Mount Elbert sits roughly 35 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  3. San Juan Mountains

    LeftHalfway8 mi off the route

    Look left around the halfway mark for San Juan Mountains, about 8 miles out.

    Good possibility

  4. Canyonlands

    RightHalfway45 mi off the route

    Canyonlands is about 45 miles off the right, around the halfway mark.

    Distant possibility

  5. Monument Valley

    LeftThree quarters23 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Monument Valley sits roughly 23 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  6. Lake Powell

    Either sideThree quarters6 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  7. Grand Canyon

    LeftThree quarters32 mi off the route

    Grand Canyon is about 32 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Good possibility

  8. Lake Mead

    RightThree quarters34 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Lake Mead sits roughly 34 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  9. San Gorgonio Mountain

    LeftNear the end34 mi off the route

    Look left late in the flight for San Gorgonio Mountain, about 34 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

1,328 mi
Great-circle distance
255°
Course out of OMA
241°
Course into LAX
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?

Los Angeles → OmahaRight 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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