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San Francisco → Atlanta

SFO–ATL · San Francisco International Airport to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Best bet

Left side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

Sangre de Cristo Mountains leads it, with 5 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.

SFO to ATL: 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.SFOATLLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678910
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 41 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 Francisco Bay

    Either sideEarly2 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

  2. Half Dome

    Either sideEarly0 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  3. Mono Lake

    LeftEarly17 mi off the route

    Look left early in the flight for Mono Lake, about 17 miles out.

    Good possibility

  4. Zion National Park

    RightQuarter in41 mi off the route

    Zion National Park is about 41 miles off the right, about a quarter of the way in.

    Distant possibility

  5. Bryce Canyon

    RightQuarter in10 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Bryce Canyon sits roughly 10 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  6. Capitol Reef

    LeftQuarter in31 mi off the route

    Look left about a quarter of the way in for Capitol Reef, about 31 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Canyonlands

    LeftQuarter in33 mi off the route

    Canyonlands is about 33 miles off the left, about a quarter of the way in.

    Distant possibility

  8. San Juan Mountains

    LeftHalfway30 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, San Juan Mountains sits roughly 30 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  9. Great Sand Dunes

    LeftHalfway23 mi off the route

    Look left around the halfway mark for Great Sand Dunes, about 23 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  10. Sangre de Cristo Mountains

    LeftHalfway12 mi off the route

    Sangre de Cristo Mountains is about 12 miles off the left, around the halfway mark.

    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

2,134 mi
Great-circle distance
86°
Course out of SFO
108°
Course into ATL
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?

Atlanta → San FranciscoRight 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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