Seeing Pyramid Lake from a plane4 ★
A desert lake with no outlet, a remnant of ice-age Lake Lahontan, named for a pyramid-shaped tufa island. Look for an intense blue lake in bare brown mountains, with pale tufa rocks along the shore.
20 of our routes pass it. Nevada · rated 4 of 10
The easy pick
Los Angeles to Reno: sit on the right, on the way down.
Which side, by route
| Route | Side | When |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta to Reno | Right | on the way down |
| Austin to Reno | Right | on the way down |
| Chicago to Reno | Right | on the way down |
| Chicago to Sacramento | Right | 215 min after takeoff |
| Denver to Reno | Right | on the way down |
| Las Vegas to Eugene | Right | 46 min after takeoff |
| Las Vegas to Reno | Right | on the way down |
| Los Angeles to Reno | Right | on the way down |
| Minneapolis to Sacramento | Right | 178 min after takeoff |
| Minneapolis to Reno | Right | on the way down |
| Phoenix to Medford | Right | 76 min after takeoff |
| Phoenix to Reno | Right | on the way down |
| Portland to Reno | Left | on the way down |
| Sacramento to Boise | Right | 23 min after takeoff |
| Salt Lake City to Honolulu | Right Best seat for the whole flight: left | 50 min after takeoff |
| Salt Lake City to Kahului | Right Best seat for the whole flight: left | 51 min after takeoff |
| Salt Lake City to Sacramento | Right | 52 min after takeoff |
| Salt Lake City to Reno | Right | on the way down |
| Seattle to Reno | Left Best seat for the whole flight: right | on the way down |
| St. Louis to Sacramento | Right | 192 min after takeoff |
From the real paths of every nonstop on these routes in the last 10 days, at the usual time of day. Where the best seat for the whole flight is on the other side, you'd trade this sight for more elsewhere.
Questions
Which side of the plane do you see Pyramid Lake from?
It depends on the direction: the right on most of our routes (18 of 20). The table lists each route's side.
When can you see Pyramid Lake 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
Smoke Creek Desert Black Rock Desert Lake Tahoe Mount Siegel Lassen Peak Atlanta (ATL) Austin (AUS) Chicago (ORD) Sacramento (SMF) All routes