Which side of the plane to sit on: Seattle to San Francisco?
Flying from Seattle to San Francisco? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.
The best window changes along the way.
Confidence: lowTakeoff views
9:06 AMClimbing out of Seattle toward the south, the right window looks out over the Porter Hills and the Whidby Island (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Issaquah Alps and the Tom Tom Falls on the left.
- rightView of Porter Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of Issaquah Alps (mountain range)
- rightView of Whidby Island (island)
- leftView of Tom Tom Falls (waterfall)
Flight path features
9:50 AMAcross the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Hoodoo Hills, the Crater Lake and the Columbia River Gorge (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Klamath Mountains on the right.
- leftView of Hoodoo Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Klamath Mountains (mountain range)
- leftView of Crater Lake (vivid blue caldera lake)
- leftView of Columbia River Gorge (deep canyon)
Landing views
10:37 AMDescending into San Francisco from the north, the right window looks out over the Oat Hills, Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay and the Blodgett Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Berkeley Hills on the left.
- rightView of Oat Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of Berkeley Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (the red bridge and the bay)
- rightView of Blodgett Canyon (deep canyon)
Good to know
- Based on the geometric great-circle route; real flight paths can differ with air-traffic routing and winds.
- "Left/right" means facing the direction of travel. Left is the seat A side, right is the F/K side (varies by aircraft).
- Glare advice assumes you want clear ground views; flip it if you'd rather watch the sunrise/sunset directly.
Frequently asked questions
Which side of the plane should you sit on from Seattle to San Francisco?
It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.. Across the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Hoodoo Hills, the Crater Lake and the Columbia River Gorge (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Klamath Mountains on the right.
What views will you get at takeoff from Seattle?
Climbing out of Seattle toward the south, the right window looks out over the Porter Hills and the Whidby Island (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Issaquah Alps and the Tom Tom Falls on the left.
What about on the descent into San Francisco?
Descending into San Francisco from the north, the right window looks out over the Oat Hills, Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay and the Blodgett Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Berkeley Hills on the left.