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San Diego → Detroit

SAN–DTW · San Diego International Airport to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Best bet

Left side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

San Francisco Peaks leads it, with 6 more on the same side.

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 DTW: 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.SANDTWLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE1234567891011
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 69 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. Salton Sea

    Either sideEarly2 mi off the route

    Salton Sea passes almost directly beneath early in the flight, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Good possibility

  2. Sedona red rocks

    RightQuarter in15 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Sedona red rocks sits roughly 15 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  3. San Francisco Peaks

    LeftQuarter in12 mi off the route

    Look left about a quarter of the way in for San Francisco Peaks, about 12 miles out.

    Good possibility

  4. Grand Canyon

    LeftQuarter in69 mi off the route

    Grand Canyon is about 69 miles off the left, about a quarter of the way in.

    Distant possibility

  5. Meteor Crater

    RightQuarter in24 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Meteor Crater sits roughly 24 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  6. Painted Desert

    RightQuarter in18 mi off the route

    Look right about a quarter of the way in for Painted Desert, about 18 miles out.

    Good possibility

  7. Canyon de Chelly

    LeftQuarter in10 mi off the route

    Canyon de Chelly is about 10 miles off the left, about a quarter of the way in.

    Good possibility

  8. Shiprock

    LeftQuarter in27 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Shiprock sits roughly 27 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  9. Sangre de Cristo Mountains

    LeftHalfway9 mi off the route

    Look left around the halfway mark for Sangre de Cristo Mountains, about 9 miles out.

    Good possibility

  10. Great Sand Dunes

    LeftHalfway20 mi off the route

    Great Sand Dunes is about 20 miles off the left, around the halfway mark.

    Distant possibility

  11. Chicago skyline

    LeftNear the end15 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Chicago skyline sits roughly 15 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

1,952 mi
Great-circle distance
61°
Course out of SAN
82°
Course into DTW
10
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?

Detroit → San DiegoRight 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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