Seeing Lake Sacajawea from a plane
The pool of the Snake River behind Ice Harbor Dam, a few miles above where the Snake meets the Columbia near the Tri-Cities. Look for a winding blue ribbon through dry, tan basalt plateau.
7 of our routes pass it. Washington · rated 5 of 10
The easy pick
Portland to Minneapolis: sit on the left, 24 min after takeoff.
Which side, by route
| Route | Side | When |
|---|---|---|
| Denver to Seattle | Right | 107 min after takeoff |
| Phoenix to Seattle | Right | 122 min after takeoff |
| Portland to Minneapolis | Left | 24 min after takeoff |
| Portland to Chicago | Left | 25 min after takeoff |
| Salt Lake City to Seattle | Right | 60 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to Dallas-Fort Worth | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 25 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to Denver | Right | 28 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 Lake Sacajawea from?
It depends on the direction: the right on most of our routes (4 of 7). The table lists each route's side.
When can you see Lake Sacajawea 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
Channeled Scablands Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake Mount Adams Snake River Canyon / Hells Canyon Mount Stuart Denver (DEN) Seattle (SEA) Phoenix (PHX) Portland (PDX) All routes