Seeing Columbia River Gorge from a plane
The river cuts an 80-mile canyon up to 4,000 ft deep through the Cascades, widened by Ice Age floods from glacial Lake Missoula. Look for the green west end turning to dry brown hills to the east.
9 of our routes pass it. Oregon · rated 6 of 10
The easy pick
Sacramento to Portland: sit on the right, on the way down.
Which side, by route
| Route | Side | When |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles to Seattle | Right | 97 min after takeoff |
| Portland to Phoenix | Left | 9 min after takeoff |
| Portland to Denver | Left | 10 min after takeoff |
| Portland to Minneapolis | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 10 min after takeoff |
| Sacramento to Seattle | Right | 72 min after takeoff |
| Sacramento to Portland | Right | on the way down |
| Seattle to Los Angeles | Left | 17 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to Phoenix | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 17 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to Las Vegas | Right | 18 min after takeoff |
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 Columbia River Gorge from?
It depends on the direction: the right on most of our routes (6 of 9). The table lists each route's side.
When can you see Columbia River Gorge 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 Hood Mount Adams Mount St. Helens Portland St. Johns Bridge Los Angeles (LAX) Seattle (SEA) Portland (PDX) Phoenix (PHX) All routes