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Sacramento → Dallas–Fort Worth

SMF–DFW · Sacramento International Airport to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

Best bet

Either side

Both sides workThe two sides come out close to level.

Both sides have something going for them, and the totals come out close enough that picking one would be a coin flip with extra steps.

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.

SMF to DFW: 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.SMFDFWLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789
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. Lake Tahoe

    LeftEarly40 mi off the route

    Lake Tahoe is about 40 miles off the left, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  2. Mono Lake

    RightEarly23 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Mono Lake sits roughly 23 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  3. Zion National Park

    RightQuarter in8 mi off the route

    Look right about a quarter of the way in for Zion National Park, about 8 miles out.

    Strong candidate

  4. Bryce Canyon

    LeftHalfway32 mi off the route

    Bryce Canyon is about 32 miles off the left, around the halfway mark.

    Distant possibility

  5. Lake Powell

    Either sideHalfway6 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

  6. Monument Valley

    LeftHalfway18 mi off the route

    Look left around the halfway mark for Monument Valley, about 18 miles out.

    Good possibility

  7. Shiprock

    LeftHalfway18 mi off the route

    Shiprock is about 18 miles off the left, around the halfway mark.

    Distant possibility

  8. Sandia Mountains

    RightThree quarters40 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Sandia Mountains sits roughly 40 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  9. Palo Duro Canyon

    LeftThree quarters32 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Palo Duro Canyon, about 32 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

1,428 mi
Great-circle distance
99°
Course out of SMF
113°
Course into DFW
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?

Dallas–Fort Worth → SacramentoEither 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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