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Phoenix → Anchorage

PHX–ANC · Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to Ted Stevens Anchorage 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.

PHX 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.PHXANCLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789101112
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 66 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. Lake Mead

    LeftEarly19 mi off the route

    Lake Mead is about 19 miles off the left, early in the flight.

    Good possibility

  2. Three Sisters

    LeftHalfway46 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Three Sisters sits roughly 46 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  3. Mount Jefferson

    LeftHalfway24 mi off the route

    Look left around the halfway mark for Mount Jefferson, about 24 miles out.

    Good possibility

  4. Mount Hood

    RightHalfway9 mi off the route

    Mount Hood is about 9 miles off the right, around the halfway mark.

    Strong candidate

  5. Columbia River Gorge

    RightHalfway18 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Columbia River Gorge sits roughly 18 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  6. Mount Adams

    RightHalfway50 mi off the route

    Look right around the halfway mark for Mount Adams, about 50 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Mount St. Helens

    RightHalfway23 mi off the route

    Mount St. Helens is about 23 miles off the right, around the halfway mark.

    Good possibility

  8. Mount Rainier

    RightHalfway66 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Mount Rainier sits roughly 66 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  9. Olympic Mountains

    RightHalfway29 mi off the route

    Look right around the halfway mark for Olympic Mountains, about 29 miles out.

    Good possibility

  10. Prince William Sound

    RightNear the end18 mi off the route

    Prince William Sound is about 18 miles off the right, late in the flight.

    Good possibility

  11. the Chugach Mountains

    RightNear the end55 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, the Chugach Mountains sits roughly 55 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  12. Turnagain Arm

    Either sideNear the end8 mi off the route

    Whether Turnagain Arm appears comes down to how you come into ANC, which is not something we can know in advance.

    Runway dependent

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

2,549 mi
Great-circle distance
330°
Course out of PHX
301°
Course into ANC
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?

Anchorage → PhoenixLeft 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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