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Portland → Denver

PDX–DEN · Portland International Airport to Denver International Airport

Best bet

Left side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

Sawtooth Range leads it, with 4 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.

PDX 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.PDXDENLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678910
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 95 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

    LeftEarly46 mi off the route

    Mount St. Helens is about 46 miles off the left, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  2. Mount Rainier

    LeftEarly95 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Mount Rainier sits roughly 95 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  3. Columbia River Gorge

    LeftEarly19 mi off the route

    Columbia River Gorge sits close enough to PDX that the runway in use and the procedure of the day decide whether it shows up at all.

    Runway dependent

  4. Mount Adams

    LeftEarly57 mi off the route

    Mount Adams is about 57 miles off the left, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  5. Mount Hood

    Either sideEarly1 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  6. Mount Jefferson

    RightEarly49 mi off the route

    Look right early in the flight for Mount Jefferson, about 49 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Sawtooth Range

    LeftHalfway21 mi off the route

    Sawtooth Range is about 21 miles off the left, around the halfway mark.

    Good possibility

  8. Craters of the Moon

    LeftHalfway18 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Craters of the Moon sits roughly 18 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  9. Bear Lake

    RightThree quarters28 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Bear Lake, about 28 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  10. Longs Peak

    Either sideNear the end0 mi off the route

    Longs Peak passes almost directly beneath late in the flight, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Strong candidate

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

989 mi
Great-circle distance
107°
Course out of PDX
119°
Course into DEN
7
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 → PortlandRight 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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