Seeing Maroon Bells / Elk Mountains from a plane
Two 14,000-ft peaks of crumbly maroon mudstone near Aspen, among the most photographed mountains in North America and nicknamed the Deadly Bells for their loose rock. Look for the reddish striped pyramids above Maroon Lake.
12 of our routes pass it. Colorado · rated 6 of 10
The easy pick
Denver to San Francisco: sit on the left, 21 min after takeoff.
Which side, by route
| Route | Side | When |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago to Las Vegas | Right | 139 min after takeoff |
| Dallas-Fort Worth to Seattle | Left | 95 min after takeoff |
| Denver to Las Vegas | Left | 21 min after takeoff |
| Denver to San Francisco | Left | 21 min after takeoff |
| Denver to Los Angeles | Left | 22 min after takeoff |
| Las Vegas to Denver | Left | 59 min after takeoff |
| Las Vegas to Chicago | Left | 59 min after takeoff |
| Phoenix to Denver | Left | 54 min after takeoff |
| Sacramento to Denver | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 91 min after takeoff |
| San Francisco to Denver | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 115 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to Dallas-Fort Worth | Right | 114 min after takeoff |
| Washington to San Francisco | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 187 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 Maroon Bells / Elk Mountains from?
It depends on the direction: the left on most of our routes (8 of 12). The table lists each route's side.
When can you see Maroon Bells / Elk Mountains 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
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