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Everett → Los Angeles

PAE–LAX · Seattle Paine Field International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport

Best bet

Right side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

Mount Hood leads it, with 7 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.

PAE 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.PAELAXLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678910111213
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 98 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. Puget Sound

    RightEarly8 mi off the route

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

    Runway dependent

  2. Mount Rainier

    Either sideEarly7 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  3. Mount St. Helens

    RightEarly23 mi off the route

    Look right early in the flight for Mount St. Helens, about 23 miles out.

    Good possibility

  4. Mount Adams

    LeftEarly10 mi off the route

    Mount Adams is about 10 miles off the left, early in the flight.

    Good possibility

  5. Columbia River Gorge

    RightQuarter in12 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Columbia River Gorge sits roughly 12 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  6. Mount Hood

    RightQuarter in12 mi off the route

    Look right about a quarter of the way in for Mount Hood, about 12 miles out.

    Strong candidate

  7. Mount Jefferson

    RightQuarter in28 mi off the route

    Mount Jefferson is about 28 miles off the right, about a quarter of the way in.

    Good possibility

  8. Three Sisters

    RightQuarter in35 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Three Sisters sits roughly 35 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  9. Mount Shasta

    RightHalfway98 mi off the route

    Look right around the halfway mark for Mount Shasta, about 98 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  10. Lake Tahoe

    RightThree quarters20 mi off the route

    Lake Tahoe is about 20 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Good possibility

  11. Mono Lake

    LeftThree quarters20 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Mono Lake sits roughly 20 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  12. Half Dome

    RightThree quarters12 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Half Dome, about 12 miles out.

    Good possibility

  13. Mount Whitney

    LeftThree quarters40 mi off the route

    Mount Whitney is about 40 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    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

985 mi
Great-circle distance
167°
Course out of PAE
169°
Course into LAX
11
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 → EverettLeft 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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