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Portland → Des Moines

PDX–DSM · Portland International Airport to Des Moines International Airport

Best bet

Either side

Both sides workThe two sides come out close to level.

Both sides have something going for them, and the totals come out close enough that picking one would be a coin flip with extra steps.

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 DSM: 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.PDXDSMLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789101112
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 88 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

    LeftEarly43 mi off the route

    Mount St. Helens is about 43 miles off the left, early in the flight.

    Good possibility

  2. Mount Rainier

    LeftEarly88 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Mount Rainier sits roughly 88 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  3. Columbia River Gorge

    LeftEarly9 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 Jefferson

    RightEarly63 mi off the route

    Mount Jefferson is about 63 miles off the right, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  5. Mount Hood

    RightEarly14 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Mount Hood sits roughly 14 miles to the right.

    Strong candidate

  6. Mount Adams

    LeftEarly43 mi off the route

    Look left early in the flight for Mount Adams, about 43 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Wallowa Mountains

    RightQuarter in16 mi off the route

    Wallowa Mountains is about 16 miles off the right, about a quarter of the way in.

    Good possibility

  8. Hells Canyon

    Either sideQuarter in1 mi off the route

    Hells Canyon passes almost directly beneath about a quarter of the way in, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Good possibility

  9. Yellowstone Lake

    RightHalfway25 mi off the route

    Look right around the halfway mark for Yellowstone Lake, about 25 miles out.

    Good possibility

  10. Bighorn Mountains

    Either sideHalfway2 mi off the route

    Bighorn Mountains passes almost directly beneath around the halfway mark, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Good possibility

  11. Black Hills

    Either sideThree quarters3 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  12. Badlands

    LeftThree quarters8 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Badlands, about 8 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

1,467 mi
Great-circle distance
91°
Course out of PDX
111°
Course into DSM
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?

Des Moines → PortlandEither 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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