Seeing Grand Canyon from a plane
277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and over a mile deep, cut through rock nearly 2 billion years old at the bottom. Look for the thin green Colorado River in the depths and the forested North Rim, about 1,000 ft higher than the South.
25 of our routes pass it. Arizona · rated 10 of 10
The easy pick
Las Vegas to Dallas-Fort Worth: sit on the left, 21 min after takeoff.
Which side, by route
| Route | Side | When |
|---|---|---|
| Austin to San Francisco | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 116 min after takeoff |
| Boston to Los Angeles | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 265 min after takeoff |
| Chicago to Los Angeles | Right | 165 min after takeoff |
| Dallas to Las Vegas | Right | 115 min after takeoff |
| Denver to Los Angeles | Left | 65 min after takeoff |
| Houston to San Francisco | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 137 min after takeoff |
| Indianapolis to Las Vegas | Left | 181 min after takeoff |
| Kansas City to Las Vegas | Left | 133 min after takeoff |
| Las Vegas to Dallas-Fort Worth | Left | 21 min after takeoff |
| Las Vegas to Chicago | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 22 min after takeoff |
| Las Vegas to Denver | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 23 min after takeoff |
| Las Vegas to Atlanta | Left | 24 min after takeoff |
| Los Angeles to Denver | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 50 min after takeoff |
| Los Angeles to New York | Right | 50 min after takeoff |
| Los Angeles to Chicago | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 50 min after takeoff |
| Minneapolis to Los Angeles | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 139 min after takeoff |
| New York to Los Angeles | Right | 253 min after takeoff |
| Newark to Los Angeles | Right | 266 min after takeoff |
| Philadelphia to Los Angeles | Right | 241 min after takeoff |
| Phoenix to Seattle | Right | 26 min after takeoff |
| Portland to Phoenix | Left | 104 min after takeoff |
| Salt Lake City to Phoenix | Left | 39 min after takeoff |
| San Diego to Denver | Left | 47 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to Phoenix | Left | 112 min after takeoff |
| Washington to Los Angeles | Right | 229 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 Grand Canyon from?
It depends on the direction: the right on most of our routes (14 of 25). The table lists each route's side.
When can you see Grand Canyon 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
San Francisco Peaks Lake Powell Meteor Crater Zion Canyon Bryce Canyon Austin (AUS) San Francisco (SFO) Boston (BOS) Los Angeles (LAX) All routes