Seeing Sierra Nevada crest from a plane
The range is a giant tilted block: gentle on the west, but the east face drops about 10,000 ft to the Owens Valley. Look for the jagged granite crest, small glaciers and hundreds of lakes in its basins.
12 of our routes pass it. California · rated 6 of 10
The easy pick
Sacramento to Los Angeles: sit on the left, 22 min after takeoff.
Which side, by route
| Route | Side | When |
|---|---|---|
| Austin to San Francisco | Left | 164 min after takeoff |
| Boston to San Francisco | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 309 min after takeoff |
| Chicago to San Francisco | Left | 209 min after takeoff |
| Denver to San Francisco | Left | 101 min after takeoff |
| Las Vegas to San Francisco | Left | 34 min after takeoff |
| Minneapolis to San Francisco | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 170 min after takeoff |
| New York to San Francisco | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 295 min after takeoff |
| Newark to San Francisco | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 276 min after takeoff |
| Sacramento to Los Angeles | Left | 22 min after takeoff |
| Sacramento to Phoenix | Right the other side is usually better on this route | 24 min after takeoff |
| San Francisco to Las Vegas | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 32 min after takeoff |
| Washington to San Francisco | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 264 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 Sierra Nevada crest from?
It depends on the direction: the left on most of our routes (11 of 12). The table lists each route's side.
When can you see Sierra Nevada crest 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
Sequoia National Park Mono Lake Mount Whitney Yosemite Valley / Half Dome Tulare Lake Austin (AUS) San Francisco (SFO) Boston (BOS) Chicago (ORD) All routes