Which side of the plane to sit on: San Francisco to Seattle?
Flying from San Francisco to Seattle? 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 San Francisco toward the north, the right window looks out over the Berkeley Hills, the Vaca Mountains and the Niles Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay on the left.
- rightView of Berkeley Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Vaca Mountains (mountain range)
- leftView of Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (the red bridge and the bay)
- rightView of Niles Canyon (deep canyon)
Flight path features
9:50 AMAcross the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Oat Hills and the Blodgett Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Hoodoo Hills and the Crater Lake on the right.
- leftView of Oat Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Hoodoo Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Crater Lake (vivid blue caldera lake)
- leftView of Blodgett Canyon (deep canyon)
Landing views
10:37 AMDescending into Seattle from the south, the left window looks out over the Porter Hills, the Toutle Mountain Range and the Whidby Island (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Tom Tom Falls on the right.
- leftView of Porter Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of Toutle Mountain Range (mountain range)
- leftView of Whidby Island (island)
- rightView of Tom Tom Falls (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 Seattle?
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 Oat Hills and the Blodgett Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Hoodoo Hills and the Crater Lake on the right.
What views will you get at takeoff from San Francisco?
Climbing out of San Francisco toward the north, the right window looks out over the Berkeley Hills, the Vaca Mountains and the Niles Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay on the left.
What about on the descent into Seattle?
Descending into Seattle from the south, the left window looks out over the Porter Hills, the Toutle Mountain Range and the Whidby Island (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Tom Tom Falls on the right.