Which side of the plane to sit on: San Francisco to Toronto?
Flying from San Francisco to Toronto? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
Sit on the RIGHT: View of Coyote Hills (mountain range)
Best overall window for this flight.
Confidence: highTakeoff views
9:05 AMClimbing out of San Francisco toward the northeast, 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
11:25 AMAcross the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Cedar Mountains, the Desert Creek Mountains and the Lower Peninsula (mountain ridges and peaks).
- rightView of Cedar Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of Desert Creek Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of Lower Peninsula (peninsula coastline)
- rightView of The Thumb (peninsula coastline)
Landing views
4:47 PMDescending into Toronto from the west, the right window looks out over the Blacks Point, the Niagara Falls and the Great Falls (rugged cliffs and headlands), with the Point Clark on the left.
- rightView of Blacks Point (peninsula coastline)
- leftView of Point Clark (peninsula coastline)
- rightView of Niagara Falls (the thundering falls on the US-Canada border)
- rightView of Great 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 Toronto?
Sit on the RIGHT: View of Coyote Hills (mountain range). Across the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Cedar Mountains, the Desert Creek Mountains and the Lower Peninsula (mountain ridges and peaks).
What views will you get at takeoff from San Francisco?
Climbing out of San Francisco toward the northeast, 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 Toronto?
Descending into Toronto from the west, the right window looks out over the Blacks Point, the Niagara Falls and the Great Falls (rugged cliffs and headlands), with the Point Clark on the left.