Seeing Altamont Pass Wind Farm from a plane
One of the first big wind farms in the US, built in the early 1980s on the hills between the Bay Area and the Central Valley. Look for turbines on the grassy ridges along Interstate 580 east of Livermore.
7 of our routes pass it. California · rated 5 of 10
The easy pick
Washington to San Francisco: sit on the right, on the way down.
Which side, by route
| Route | Side | When |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago to San Francisco | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| Denver to San Francisco | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| Las Vegas to San Francisco | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| New York to San Francisco | Right | on the way down |
| San Francisco to Chicago | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the climb, 7 min after takeoff |
| San Francisco to Boston | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the climb, 8 min after takeoff |
| Washington to San Francisco | Right | on the way down |
From the real paths of every nonstop on these routes in the last 10 days, at the usual time of day.
Questions
Which side of the plane do you see Altamont Pass Wind Farm from?
It depends on the direction: the right on most of our routes (7 of 7). The table lists each route's side.
When can you see Altamont Pass Wind Farm from a plane?
Near the airport, on the climb or on the way down, and mid-flight on longer routes: see the table for each route.
Do clouds matter?
Yes. These answers assume a clear day. Within 3 days of your flight, pick your exact flight in the app for the cloud forecast.
More
Mount Diablo South Bay Salt Ponds Moffett Field and Hangar One Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport Googleplex Chicago (ORD) San Francisco (SFO) Denver (DEN) Las Vegas (LAS) All routes