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Palm Springs → Denver

PSP–DEN · Palm Springs International Airport to Denver International Airport

Best bet

Right side

Slight edgeEnough to break a tie, not enough to change seats over.

It is close. The right edges it, mostly on Grand Canyon, but the left is not a bad seat.

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 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.PSPDENLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 52 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. Grand Canyon

    RightHalfway13 mi off the route

    Grand Canyon is about 13 miles off the right, around the halfway mark.

    Strong candidate

  2. Lake Powell

    LeftHalfway17 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Lake Powell sits roughly 17 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  3. Monument Valley

    RightHalfway22 mi off the route

    Look right around the halfway mark for Monument Valley, about 22 miles out.

    Good possibility

  4. Canyonlands

    LeftThree quarters37 mi off the route

    Canyonlands is about 37 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  5. San Juan Mountains

    RightThree quarters28 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, San Juan Mountains sits roughly 28 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  6. Maroon Bells

    LeftThree quarters14 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Maroon Bells, about 14 miles out.

    Good possibility

  7. Mount Elbert

    Either sideNear the end2 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  8. Pikes Peak

    RightNear the end52 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Pikes Peak sits roughly 52 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  9. Longs Peak

    LeftNear the end48 mi off the route

    Look left late in the flight for Longs Peak, about 48 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

775 mi
Great-circle distance
54°
Course out of PSP
61°
Course into DEN
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?

Denver → Palm SpringsLeft 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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