Seeing Crater Lake from a plane
At 1,943 ft, the deepest lake in the US. It fills the hole left when Mount Mazama blew apart about 7,700 years ago. Look for Wizard Island, a cinder cone near the west rim.
11 of our routes pass it. Oregon · rated 9 of 10
The easy pick
Portland to Las Vegas: sit on the right, 25 min after takeoff.
Which side, by route
| Route | Side | When |
|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas to Seattle | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 82 min after takeoff |
| Los Angeles to Seattle | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 77 min after takeoff |
| Portland to Los Angeles | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 23 min after takeoff |
| Portland to Las Vegas | Right | 25 min after takeoff |
| Portland to San Francisco | Left | 27 min after takeoff |
| Sacramento to Portland | Right | 45 min after takeoff |
| Sacramento to Seattle | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 46 min after takeoff |
| San Diego to Seattle | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 87 min after takeoff |
| San Francisco to Seattle | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 47 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to Los Angeles | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 38 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to San Francisco | Left | 50 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 Crater Lake from?
It depends on the direction: the left on most of our routes (7 of 11). The table lists each route's side.
When can you see Crater Lake from a plane?
Mid-flight: see the table for when on 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 Bachelor Three Sisters Mount Shasta Mount Jefferson Mount Hood Las Vegas (LAS) Seattle (SEA) Los Angeles (LAX) Portland (PDX) All routes