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Palm Springs → Bellingham

PSP–BLI · Palm Springs International Airport to Bellingham International Airport

Best bet

Left side

Strong betOne side has clearly more to look at.

Mount Rainier is the main event, and it has company: 7 more worth looking at out the left.

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.

PSP to BLI: 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.PSPBLILEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE1234567891011121314
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 58 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. San Jacinto Peak

    LeftEarly10 mi off the route

    San Jacinto Peak sits close enough to PSP that the runway in use and the procedure of the day decide whether it shows up at all.

    Runway dependent

  2. San Gorgonio Mountain

    LeftEarly13 mi off the route

    Whether San Gorgonio Mountain appears comes down to how you get out of PSP, which is not something we can know in advance.

    Runway dependent

  3. Death Valley

    RightQuarter in27 mi off the route

    Look right about a quarter of the way in for Death Valley, about 27 miles out.

    Good possibility

  4. Mount Whitney

    LeftQuarter in47 mi off the route

    Mount Whitney is about 47 miles off the left, about a quarter of the way in.

    Distant possibility

  5. Mount Jefferson

    LeftThree quarters58 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Mount Jefferson sits roughly 58 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  6. Mount Hood

    LeftThree quarters38 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Mount Hood, about 38 miles out.

    Good possibility

  7. Columbia River Gorge

    LeftThree quarters35 mi off the route

    Columbia River Gorge is about 35 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  8. Mount Adams

    LeftThree quarters11 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Mount Adams sits roughly 11 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  9. Mount St. Helens

    LeftThree quarters42 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Mount St. Helens, about 42 miles out.

    Good possibility

  10. Mount Rainier

    LeftNear the end9 mi off the route

    Mount Rainier is about 9 miles off the left, late in the flight.

    Strong candidate

  11. Glacier Peak

    RightNear the end47 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Glacier Peak sits roughly 47 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  12. Puget Sound

    LeftNear the end17 mi off the route

    Look left late in the flight for Puget Sound, about 17 miles out.

    Good possibility

  13. Mount Baker

    RightNear the end31 mi off the route

    Mount Baker sits close enough to BLI that the runway in use and the procedure of the day decide whether it shows up at all.

    Runway dependent

  14. San Juan Islands

    LeftNear the end27 mi off the route

    Whether San Juan Islands appears comes down to how you come into BLI, 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

1,079 mi
Great-circle distance
345°
Course out of PSP
341°
Course into BLI
10
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?

Bellingham → Palm SpringsRight 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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