Seeing McDonald Peak from a plane4 ★

At 9,820 ft, the highest of the Mission Mountains, rising nearly 7,000 ft above the Flathead Valley. Look for a sheer, snowy wall east of the valley, with Flathead Lake to the north.

23 of our routes pass it. Montana · rated 4 of 10

The easy pick

Seattle to Columbus: sit on the left, 45 min after takeoff.

Which side, by route

From the real paths of every nonstop on these routes in the last 10 days, at the usual time of day. Where the best seat for the whole flight is on the other side, you'd trade this sight for more elsewhere.

Questions

Which side of the plane do you see McDonald Peak from?

It depends on the direction: the left on most of our routes (15 of 23). The table lists each route's side.

When can you see McDonald Peak 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.

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

Flathead Lake Glacier National Park Trapper Peak Lake Pend Oreille Mount Spokane Atlanta (ATL) Chicago (ORD) Seattle (SEA) Denver (DEN) All routes