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San Diego → Colorado Springs

SAN–COS · San Diego International Airport to Colorado Springs 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.

SAN to COS: 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.SANCOSLEFT 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. San Jacinto Peak

    LeftEarly45 mi off the route

    San Jacinto Peak is about 45 miles off the left, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  2. Salton Sea

    RightEarly9 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Salton Sea sits roughly 9 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  3. San Francisco Peaks

    RightHalfway20 mi off the route

    Look right around the halfway mark for San Francisco Peaks, about 20 miles out.

    Good possibility

  4. Grand Canyon

    LeftHalfway36 mi off the route

    Grand Canyon is about 36 miles off the left, around the halfway mark.

    Good possibility

  5. Monument Valley

    LeftThree quarters32 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Monument Valley sits roughly 32 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  6. Shiprock

    RightThree quarters21 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Shiprock, about 21 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. San Juan Mountains

    LeftThree quarters25 mi off the route

    San Juan Mountains is about 25 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Good possibility

  8. Sangre de Cristo Mountains

    RightNear the end56 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Sangre de Cristo Mountains sits roughly 56 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  9. Pikes Peak

    LeftNear the end11 mi off the route

    Pikes Peak sits close enough to COS 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

815 mi
Great-circle distance
56°
Course out of SAN
63°
Course into COS
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?

Colorado Springs → San DiegoEither 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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