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Window Seat

Seattle → Houston

SEA–IAH · Seattle–Tacoma International Airport to George Bush Intercontinental Airport

Best bet

Right side

Strong betOne side has clearly more to look at.

Mount Rainier is the main event, and it has company: 8 more worth looking at out the right.

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.

SEA to IAH: 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.SEAIAHLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789101112131415
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 71 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. Mount Rainier

    RightEarly22 mi off the route

    Mount Rainier is about 22 miles off the right, early in the flight.

    Strong candidate

  2. Mount St. Helens

    RightEarly71 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Mount St. Helens sits roughly 71 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  3. Mount Adams

    RightEarly54 mi off the route

    Look right early in the flight for Mount Adams, about 54 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Wallowa Mountains

    Either sideQuarter in4 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  5. Hells Canyon

    LeftQuarter in24 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Hells Canyon sits roughly 24 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  6. Sawtooth Range

    RightQuarter in9 mi off the route

    Look right about a quarter of the way in for Sawtooth Range, about 9 miles out.

    Good possibility

  7. Craters of the Moon

    Either sideQuarter in5 mi off the route

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

    Good possibility

  8. Bear Lake

    Either sideHalfway6 mi off the route

    Bear Lake passes almost directly beneath around the halfway mark, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Good possibility

  9. Uinta Mountains

    RightHalfway41 mi off the route

    Look right around the halfway mark for Uinta Mountains, about 41 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  10. Maroon Bells

    RightHalfway17 mi off the route

    Maroon Bells is about 17 miles off the right, around the halfway mark.

    Good possibility

  11. Mount Elbert

    Either sideHalfway5 mi off the route

    Mount Elbert passes almost directly beneath around the halfway mark, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Good possibility

  12. Pikes Peak

    LeftHalfway41 mi off the route

    Look left around the halfway mark for Pikes Peak, about 41 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  13. Great Sand Dunes

    RightHalfway33 mi off the route

    Great Sand Dunes is about 33 miles off the right, around the halfway mark.

    Distant possibility

  14. Sangre de Cristo Mountains

    RightHalfway40 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Sangre de Cristo Mountains sits roughly 40 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  15. Palo Duro Canyon

    RightThree quarters27 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for Palo Duro Canyon, about 27 miles out.

    Distant 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

1,872 mi
Great-circle distance
120°
Course out of SEA
138°
Course into IAH
11
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?

Houston → SeattleLeft 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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