Seeing Mount Diablo from a plane
At 3,849 ft it stands alone above the East Bay, and on a clear day you can see an enormous sweep of Northern California from the top, all the way to the Sierra. Look for a twin-summited peak, green in winter and gold in summer.
8 of our routes pass it. California · rated 5 of 10
The easy pick
Los Angeles to San Francisco: sit on the right, on the way down.
Which side, by route
| Route | Side | When |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago to San Francisco | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| Honolulu to San Francisco | Right | on the way down |
| Los Angeles to San Francisco | Right | on the way down |
| Portland to San Francisco | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| San Diego to Sacramento | Left the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| San Diego to San Francisco | Right | on the way down |
| San Francisco to San Diego | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the climb, 1 min after takeoff |
| San Francisco to Chicago | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the climb, 6 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 Mount Diablo from?
It depends on the direction: the right on most of our routes (7 of 8). The table lists each route's side.
When can you see Mount Diablo 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
Altamont Pass Wind Farm Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport Oakland Port of Oakland San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Chicago (ORD) San Francisco (SFO) Honolulu (HNL) Los Angeles (LAX) All routes