Seeing Pikes Peak from a plane
At 14,115 ft, the view from its summit inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write America the Beautiful in 1893. Look for the massive pink granite peak looming directly over Colorado Springs, with a road switchbacking to the top.
20 of our routes pass it. Colorado · rated 6 of 10
The easy pick
Dallas-Fort Worth to Denver: sit on the left, on the way down.
Which side, by route
| Route | Side | When |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta to Denver | Left | on the way down |
| Austin to Denver | Left | on the way down |
| Chicago to Las Vegas | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 126 min after takeoff |
| Dallas-Fort Worth to Denver | Left | on the way down |
| Dallas-Fort Worth to Seattle | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 84 min after takeoff |
| Denver to Phoenix | Left | 13 min after takeoff |
| Detroit to Denver | Left the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| Houston to Denver | Left | on the way down |
| Kansas City to Las Vegas | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 75 min after takeoff |
| Las Vegas to Chicago | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 70 min after takeoff |
| Las Vegas to Denver | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| Nashville to Denver | Left | on the way down |
| Newark to Denver | Right | on the way down |
| Phoenix to Denver | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 65 min after takeoff |
| Sacramento to Denver | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| San Diego to Denver | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 92 min after takeoff |
| San Francisco to Denver | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| Seattle to Dallas-Fort Worth | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 125 min after takeoff |
| St. Louis to Denver | Left | on the way down |
| Tampa to Denver | Left | on the way down |
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 Pikes Peak from?
It depends on the direction: the left on most of our routes (11 of 20). The table lists each route's side.
When can you see Pikes 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
Colorado Springs Denver Mount Elbert Great Sand Dunes Longs Peak Atlanta (ATL) Denver (DEN) Austin (AUS) Chicago (MDW) All routes