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Everett → Santa Ana

PAE–SNA · Seattle Paine Field International Airport to John Wayne Airport

Best bet

Right side

Strong betOne side has clearly more to look at.

Mount Hood is the main event, and it has company: 6 more worth looking at out the right.

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 SNA: 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.PAESNALEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789101112
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 42 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 sideEarly5 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

    RightEarly26 mi off the route

    Look right early in the flight for Mount St. Helens, about 26 miles out.

    Good possibility

  4. Mount Adams

    Either sideEarly7 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  5. Columbia River Gorge

    RightQuarter in16 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Columbia River Gorge sits roughly 16 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  6. Mount Hood

    RightQuarter in17 mi off the route

    Look right about a quarter of the way in for Mount Hood, about 17 miles out.

    Strong candidate

  7. Mount Jefferson

    RightQuarter in34 mi off the route

    Mount Jefferson is about 34 miles off the right, about a quarter of the way in.

    Distant possibility

  8. Three Sisters

    RightQuarter in42 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Three Sisters sits roughly 42 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  9. Lake Tahoe

    RightThree quarters37 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Lake Tahoe, about 37 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  10. Mono Lake

    Either sideThree quarters1 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  11. Half Dome

    RightThree quarters31 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Half Dome sits roughly 31 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  12. Mount Whitney

    LeftThree quarters18 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Mount Whitney, about 18 miles out.

    Good 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

1,010 mi
Great-circle distance
165°
Course out of PAE
168°
Course into SNA
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?

Santa Ana → 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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