Seeing Mount Hood from a plane
Oregon's highest peak at 11,249 ft, holding a dozen glaciers and skiable most of the year at Timberline Lodge. Look for the sharp snowy pyramid about 50 miles east of Portland, often the first Cascade peak you spot.
15 of our routes pass it. Oregon · rated 9 of 10
The easy pick
Sacramento to Portland: sit on the right, on the way down.
Which side, by route
| Route | Side | When |
|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas to Seattle | Right | 100 min after takeoff |
| Los Angeles to Seattle | Right | 95 min after takeoff |
| Portland to Las Vegas | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 10 min after takeoff |
| Portland to Minneapolis | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 10 min after takeoff |
| Portland to Phoenix | Left | 10 min after takeoff |
| Portland to Denver | Left | 12 min after takeoff |
| Sacramento to Seattle | Right | 69 min after takeoff |
| Sacramento to Portland | Right | on the way down |
| San Diego to Seattle | Right | 106 min after takeoff |
| San Francisco to Seattle | Right | 66 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to Dallas-Fort Worth | Right | 17 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to Phoenix | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 19 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to Los Angeles | Left | 20 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to Las Vegas | Right | 21 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to San Francisco | Left | 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 Mount Hood from?
It depends on the direction: the right on most of our routes (10 of 15). The table lists each route's side.
When can you see Mount Hood 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
Columbia River Gorge Portland Mount Jefferson St. Johns Bridge Mount Adams Las Vegas (LAS) Seattle (SEA) Los Angeles (LAX) Portland (PDX) All routes