Which side of the plane to sit on: San Francisco to Chicago?
Flying from San Francisco to Chicago? 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
9:04 AMClimbing out of San Francisco toward the east, the left window looks out over the Berkeley Hills and Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Coyote Hills and the Niles Canyon on the right.
- rightView of Coyote Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of Berkeley Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (the red bridge and the bay)
- rightView of Niles Canyon (deep canyon)
Flight path features
11:00 AMAcross the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Sherman Mountains and the Grass Valley Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Shoshone Mountains and the Northgate Canyon on the right.
- rightView of Shoshone Mountains (mountain range)
- leftView of Sherman Mountains (mountain range)
- leftView of Grass Valley Canyon (deep canyon)
- rightView of Northgate Canyon (deep canyon)
Landing views
2:58 PMDescending into Chicago from the west, the left window looks out over the Haystack Hills and the Gogebic Range (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Indiana Dunes National Park and the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve on the right.
- leftView of Haystack Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of Gogebic Range (mountain range)
- rightView of Indiana Dunes National Park (national park)
- rightView of Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve (waterfall)
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 San Francisco to Chicago?
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 Sherman Mountains and the Grass Valley Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Shoshone Mountains and the Northgate Canyon on the right.
What views will you get at takeoff from San Francisco?
Climbing out of San Francisco toward the east, the left window looks out over the Berkeley Hills and Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Coyote Hills and the Niles Canyon on the right.
What about on the descent into Chicago?
Descending into Chicago from the west, the left window looks out over the Haystack Hills and the Gogebic Range (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Indiana Dunes National Park and the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve on the right.