Seeing Denver from a plane
The Mile High City sits exactly 5,280 ft up at the edge of the plains. Look for the downtown cluster on the South Platte River with the wall of the Front Range rising behind it.
21 of our routes pass it. Colorado · rated 4 of 10
The easy pick
Phoenix to Denver: sit on the left, on the way down.
Which side, by route
| Route | Side | When |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta to Denver | Left | on the way down |
| Austin to Denver | Left | on the way down |
| Boston to Denver | Left the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| Dallas-Fort Worth to Denver | Left | on the way down |
| Denver to Phoenix | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the climb, 3 min after takeoff |
| Denver to Seattle | Left the other side is usually better on this route | on the climb, 3 min after takeoff |
| Denver to Las Vegas | Left | on the climb, 5 min after takeoff |
| Detroit to Denver | Left the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| Houston to Denver | Left | on the way down |
| Nashville to Denver | Left | on the way down |
| Newark to Denver | Right | on the way down |
| Philadelphia to Denver | Left the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| Phoenix to Denver | Left | on the way down |
| Portland to Denver | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| Sacramento to Denver | Left | on the way down |
| Salt Lake City to Atlanta | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 51 min after takeoff |
| Salt Lake City to Denver | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| San Francisco to Denver | Left | on the way down |
| Seattle to Denver | Right | on the way down |
| St. Louis to Denver | Left | on the way down |
| Tampa to Denver | Left | 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 Denver from?
It depends on the direction: the left on most of our routes (15 of 21). The table lists each route's side.
When can you see Denver 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.
Can you see Denver at night?
Yes, by its lights. The app scores lit places at night by how bright they are.
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
Longs Peak Colorado Springs Pikes Peak Mount Elbert Mount Zirkel Atlanta (ATL) Denver (DEN) Austin (AUS) Boston (BOS) All routes