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Portland → Anchorage

PDX–ANC · Portland International Airport to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport

Best bet

Right side

Strong betOne side has clearly more to look at.

Prince William Sound is the main event, and it has company: 5 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.

PDX to ANC: 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.PDXANCLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE1234567
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 83 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. Mount St. Helens

    RightEarly41 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Mount St. Helens sits roughly 41 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  2. Olympic Mountains

    RightEarly45 mi off the route

    Olympic Mountains is about 45 miles off the right, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  3. Prince William Sound

    RightNear the end19 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Prince William Sound sits roughly 19 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  4. Turnagain Arm

    Either sideNear the end8 mi off the route

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

    Runway dependent

Show 3 more along the way (Mount Adams, Mount Rainier, the Chugach Mountains)

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

  1. Mount Adams

    RightEarly68 mi off the route

    Mount Adams is about 68 miles off the right, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  2. Mount Rainier

    RightEarly83 mi off the route

    Look right early in the flight for Mount Rainier, about 83 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  3. the Chugach Mountains

    RightNear the end55 mi off the route

    Look right late in the flight for the Chugach Mountains, about 55 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

1,539 mi
Great-circle distance
6
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?

Anchorage → PortlandLeft 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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