Seeing San Jacinto Peak from a plane
At 10,834 ft, its north face drops about 10,000 ft to the desert in a few miles, one of the steepest escarpments in North America. Look for the granite wall right above Palm Springs and the aerial tramway line up its side.
20 of our routes pass it. California · rated 7 of 10
The easy pick
San Diego to Denver: sit on the left, 16 min after takeoff.
Which side, by route
| Route | Side | When |
|---|---|---|
| Austin to Los Angeles | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 151 min after takeoff |
| Boston to Los Angeles | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 300 min after takeoff |
| Chicago to Los Angeles | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 201 min after takeoff |
| Dallas-Fort Worth to Los Angeles | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 149 min after takeoff |
| Denver to Los Angeles | Left | 104 min after takeoff |
| Houston to Los Angeles | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 162 min after takeoff |
| Las Vegas to Los Angeles | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 26 min after takeoff |
| Los Angeles to Atlanta | Left | 17 min after takeoff |
| Los Angeles to Dallas-Fort Worth | Left | 19 min after takeoff |
| Miami to Los Angeles | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 255 min after takeoff |
| Minneapolis to Los Angeles | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 175 min after takeoff |
| New York to Los Angeles | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 291 min after takeoff |
| Newark to Los Angeles | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 306 min after takeoff |
| Philadelphia to Los Angeles | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 276 min after takeoff |
| Phoenix to Los Angeles | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 38 min after takeoff |
| Phoenix to Orange County | Left | 38 min after takeoff |
| Salt Lake City to Los Angeles | Left | 70 min after takeoff |
| San Diego to Denver | Left | 16 min after takeoff |
| San Diego to Chicago | Left | 16 min after takeoff |
| Washington to Los Angeles | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 265 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 San Jacinto Peak from?
It depends on the direction: the left on most of our routes (20 of 20). The table lists each route's side.
When can you see San Jacinto Peak from a plane?
Mid-flight: see the table for when on 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
San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm San Gorgonio Mountain Big Bear Lake Lake Arrowhead Salton Sea Austin (AUS) Los Angeles (LAX) Boston (BOS) Chicago (ORD) All routes