Seeing Mojave Desert from a plane
The smallest of North America's deserts and the home ground of the Joshua tree, with Las Vegas near its heart. Look for dry lake beds shining white between dark mountain ranges.
16 of our routes pass it. California · rated 7 of 10
The easy pick
San Francisco to Las Vegas: sit on the right, on the way down.
Which side, by route
| Route | Side | When |
|---|---|---|
| Boston to Los Angeles | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 288 min after takeoff |
| Chicago to Los Angeles | Right | 189 min after takeoff |
| Denver to Los Angeles | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 91 min after takeoff |
| Honolulu to Las Vegas | Right | 293 min after takeoff |
| Las Vegas to Los Angeles | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 13 min after takeoff |
| Los Angeles to Chicago | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 26 min after takeoff |
| Los Angeles to New York | Right | 27 min after takeoff |
| Minneapolis to Los Angeles | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 163 min after takeoff |
| New York to Los Angeles | Right | 278 min after takeoff |
| Newark to Los Angeles | Right | 293 min after takeoff |
| Philadelphia to Los Angeles | Right | 264 min after takeoff |
| Salt Lake City to Los Angeles | Left | 57 min after takeoff |
| San Diego to Denver | Left | 27 min after takeoff |
| San Francisco to Las Vegas | Right | on the way down |
| Seattle to Las Vegas | Right | on the way down |
| Washington to Los Angeles | Right | 253 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 Mojave Desert from?
It depends on the direction: the right on most of our routes (11 of 16). The table lists each route's side.
When can you see Mojave Desert 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
Las Vegas Strip Sphere Mount Tipton Las Vegas Charleston Peak Boston (BOS) Los Angeles (LAX) Chicago (ORD) Denver (DEN) All routes