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Palm Springs → Minneapolis

PSP–MSP · Palm Springs International Airport to Minneapolis–Saint Paul 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 MSP: 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.PSPMSPLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 54 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

    RightQuarter in27 mi off the route

    Grand Canyon is about 27 miles off the right, about a quarter of the way in.

    Good possibility

  2. Lake Powell

    Either sideQuarter in0 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  3. Monument Valley

    RightQuarter in42 mi off the route

    Look right about a quarter of the way in for Monument Valley, about 42 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Canyonlands

    LeftQuarter in15 mi off the route

    Canyonlands is about 15 miles off the left, about a quarter of the way in.

    Good possibility

  5. San Juan Mountains

    RightHalfway54 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, San Juan Mountains sits roughly 54 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  6. Maroon Bells

    RightHalfway16 mi off the route

    Look right around the halfway mark for Maroon Bells, about 16 miles out.

    Good possibility

  7. Mount Elbert

    RightHalfway29 mi off the route

    Mount Elbert is about 29 miles off the right, around the halfway mark.

    Distant possibility

  8. Longs Peak

    LeftHalfway13 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Longs Peak sits roughly 13 miles to the left.

    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

1,452 mi
Great-circle distance
51°
Course out of PSP
66°
Course into MSP
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?

Minneapolis → 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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