Seeing Great Sand Dunes from a plane
The tallest sand dunes in North America, rising about 750 ft, piled against the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Look for a tan patch of rippled sand pressed up against dark, often snowy peaks.
11 of our routes pass it. Colorado · rated 6 of 10
The easy pick
Denver to Phoenix: sit on the left, 22 min after takeoff.
Which side, by route
| Route | Side | When |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago to Los Angeles | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 121 min after takeoff |
| Dallas-Fort Worth to Seattle | Left | 80 min after takeoff |
| Denver to Phoenix | Left | 22 min after takeoff |
| Kansas City to Las Vegas | Left | 80 min after takeoff |
| New York to Los Angeles | Right | 207 min after takeoff |
| Newark to Los Angeles | Right | 215 min after takeoff |
| Philadelphia to Los Angeles | Right | 196 min after takeoff |
| Salt Lake City to Dallas-Fort Worth | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 49 min after takeoff |
| San Diego to Chicago | Left | 86 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to Dallas-Fort Worth | Right | 127 min after takeoff |
| Washington to Los Angeles | Right | 184 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 Great Sand Dunes from?
It depends on the direction: the left on most of our routes (6 of 11). The table lists each route's side.
When can you see Great Sand Dunes 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
La Garita Caldera Pikes Peak Colorado Springs Mount Elbert Maroon Bells / Elk Mountains Chicago (ORD) Los Angeles (LAX) Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Seattle (SEA) All routes