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Window Seat

Raleigh–Durham → San Francisco

RDU–SFO · Raleigh–Durham International Airport to San Francisco 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 Mount Elbert, 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.

RDU to SFO: 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.RDUSFOLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 56 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. Pikes Peak

    Either sideThree quarters4 mi off the route

    Pikes Peak passes almost directly beneath about three quarters of the way, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Strong candidate

  2. Mount Elbert

    RightThree quarters15 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Mount Elbert sits roughly 15 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  3. Maroon Bells

    RightThree quarters13 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Maroon Bells, about 13 miles out.

    Good possibility

  4. San Juan Mountains

    LeftThree quarters56 mi off the route

    San Juan Mountains is about 56 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  5. Arches National Park

    Either sideThree quarters6 mi off the route

    Arches National Park passes almost directly beneath about three quarters of the way, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Good possibility

  6. Canyonlands

    LeftThree quarters45 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Canyonlands, about 45 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Mono Lake

    Either sideNear the end4 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  8. Half Dome

    LeftNear the end18 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Half Dome sits roughly 18 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  9. San Francisco Bay

    Either sideNear the end1 mi off the route

    San Francisco Bay sits close enough to SFO that the runway in use and the procedure of the day decide whether it shows up at all.

    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

2,394 mi
Great-circle distance
286°
Course out of RDU
259°
Course into SFO
5
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?

San Francisco → Raleigh–DurhamLeft 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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