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Palm Springs → Portland

PSP–PDX · Palm Springs International Airport to Portland 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.

PSP to PDX: 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.PSPPDXLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789101112
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 97 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

    LeftEarly11 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 in43 mi off the route

    Look right about a quarter of the way in for Death Valley, about 43 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Mount Whitney

    LeftQuarter in29 mi off the route

    Mount Whitney is about 29 miles off the left, about a quarter of the way in.

    Good possibility

  5. Mono Lake

    LeftHalfway30 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Mono Lake sits roughly 30 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  6. Lake Tahoe

    LeftHalfway54 mi off the route

    Look left around the halfway mark for Lake Tahoe, about 54 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Mount Shasta

    LeftThree quarters97 mi off the route

    Mount Shasta is about 97 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  8. Crater Lake

    LeftThree quarters51 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Crater Lake sits roughly 51 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  9. Three Sisters

    Either sideNear the end4 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  10. Mount Jefferson

    RightNear the end11 mi off the route

    Mount Jefferson is about 11 miles off the right, late in the flight.

    Good possibility

  11. Mount Hood

    RightNear the end34 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Mount Hood sits roughly 34 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  12. Columbia River Gorge

    RightNear the end39 mi off the route

    Whether Columbia River Gorge appears comes down to how you come into PDX, 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

874 mi
Great-circle distance
340°
Course out of PSP
336°
Course into PDX
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?

Portland → Palm SpringsEither 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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