Seeing Mount St. Helens from a plane
In 1980 the north face collapsed in the largest landslide ever recorded and took 1,300 ft off the summit. Look for the horseshoe crater opening to the north.
17 of our routes pass it. Washington · rated 9 of 10
The easy pick
Portland to Minneapolis: sit on the left, on the climb, 8 min after takeoff.
Which side, by route
| Route | Side | When |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth to Seattle | Left | 211 min after takeoff |
| Denver to Seattle | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 123 min after takeoff |
| Honolulu to Seattle | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| Las Vegas to Seattle | Right | 109 min after takeoff |
| Los Angeles to Seattle | Right | 103 min after takeoff |
| Phoenix to Seattle | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 138 min after takeoff |
| Portland to Minneapolis | Left | on the climb, 8 min after takeoff |
| Portland to Seattle | Right | 8 min after takeoff |
| Sacramento to Seattle | Right | 76 min after takeoff |
| Salt Lake City to Seattle | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 75 min after takeoff |
| San Diego to Seattle | Right | 114 min after takeoff |
| San Francisco to Seattle | Right | 72 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to Dallas-Fort Worth | Right | 11 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to Phoenix | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 12 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to Las Vegas | Right | 13 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to Los Angeles | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 13 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to San Francisco | Left | 20 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 St. Helens from?
It depends on the direction: the right on most of our routes (11 of 17). The table lists each route's side.
When can you see Mount St. Helens 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
Mount Adams Columbia River Gorge St. Johns Bridge Mount Rainier Portland Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Seattle (SEA) Denver (DEN) Honolulu (HNL) All routes