Seeing Crystal Springs Reservoir from a planeup to 4 ★

Two long, narrow reservoirs sitting directly on the San Andreas Fault, storing Hetch Hetchy water for San Francisco. Look for the straight line of lakes beside Interstate 280, tracing the fault.

2 of our routes pass it. California · rated 4 of 10

The easy pick

Los Angeles to San Francisco: sit on the left, on the way down.

Which side, by route

RouteSideWhen
Los Angeles to San FranciscoLeft
Best seat for the whole flight: right
on the way down
San Francisco to Santa BarbaraLeft
Best seat for the whole flight: right
on the climb, 5 min after takeoff

From the real paths of every nonstop on these routes in the last 10 days, at the usual time of day. Where the best seat for the whole flight is on the other side, you'd trade this sight for more elsewhere.

Questions

Which side of the plane do you see Crystal Springs Reservoir from?

It depends on the direction: the left on most of our routes (2 of 2). The table lists each route's side.

When can you see Crystal Springs Reservoir 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.

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