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San Francisco → Orlando

SFO–MCO · San Francisco International Airport to Orlando International Airport

Best bet

Left side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

Lake Powell 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 MCO: 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.SFOMCOLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789101112
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 57 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 sideEarly3 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

    LeftEarly19 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Half Dome sits roughly 19 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  3. Mono Lake

    LeftEarly39 mi off the route

    Look left early in the flight for Mono Lake, about 39 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Mount Whitney

    RightEarly56 mi off the route

    Mount Whitney is about 56 miles off the right, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  5. Death Valley

    RightEarly57 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Death Valley sits roughly 57 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  6. Zion National Park

    LeftQuarter in22 mi off the route

    Look left about a quarter of the way in for Zion National Park, about 22 miles out.

    Good possibility

  7. Grand Canyon

    RightQuarter in47 mi off the route

    Grand Canyon is about 47 miles off the right, about a quarter of the way in.

    Distant possibility

  8. Lake Powell

    LeftQuarter in16 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Lake Powell sits roughly 16 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  9. Monument Valley

    LeftQuarter in32 mi off the route

    Look left about a quarter of the way in for Monument Valley, about 32 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  10. Canyon de Chelly

    RightQuarter in18 mi off the route

    Canyon de Chelly is about 18 miles off the right, about a quarter of the way in.

    Distant possibility

  11. Shiprock

    LeftQuarter in25 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Shiprock sits roughly 25 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  12. Palo Duro Canyon

    Either sideHalfway2 mi off the route

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

    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

2,441 mi
Great-circle distance
93°
Course out of SFO
116°
Course into MCO
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?

Orlando → 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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