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Salt Lake City → Tucson

SLC–TUS · Salt Lake City International Airport to Tucson International Airport

Best bet

Right side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

San Francisco Peaks leads it, with 3 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.

SLC to TUS: 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.SLCTUSLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE12345678
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 40 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. Wasatch Range

    LeftEarly13 mi off the route

    Wasatch Range sits close enough to SLC that the runway in use and the procedure of the day decide whether it shows up at all.

    Runway dependent

  2. Capitol Reef

    LeftQuarter in26 mi off the route

    About a quarter of the way in, Capitol Reef sits roughly 26 miles to the left.

    Distant possibility

  3. Bryce Canyon

    RightHalfway32 mi off the route

    Look right around the halfway mark for Bryce Canyon, about 32 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Lake Powell

    Either sideHalfway0 mi off the route

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

    Strong candidate

  5. Grand Canyon

    RightHalfway39 mi off the route

    Around the halfway mark, Grand Canyon sits roughly 39 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  6. San Francisco Peaks

    RightThree quarters21 mi off the route

    Look right about three quarters of the way for San Francisco Peaks, about 21 miles out.

    Good possibility

  7. Meteor Crater

    LeftThree quarters14 mi off the route

    Meteor Crater is about 14 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  8. Sedona red rocks

    RightThree quarters31 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Sedona red rocks sits roughly 31 miles to the right.

    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

602 mi
Great-circle distance
174°
Course out of SLC
175°
Course into TUS
6
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?

Tucson → Salt Lake CityLeft 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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