Seeing Smoke Creek Desert from a plane4 ★
A flat playa north of Reno, next door to Pyramid Lake and the Black Rock Desert. Look for a pale dry lake bed between bare ranges, sometimes holding a sheet of shallow water.
4 of our routes pass it. Nevada · rated 4 of 10
The easy pick
Denver to Redding: sit on the left, 103 min after takeoff.
Which side, by route
| Route | Side | When |
|---|---|---|
| Denver to Redding | Left Best seat for the whole flight: right | 103 min after takeoff |
| Portland to Reno | Left | 50 min after takeoff |
| Sacramento to Boise | Left Best seat for the whole flight: right | 26 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to Reno | Left Best seat for the whole flight: right | 64 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 Smoke Creek Desert from?
It depends on the direction: the left on most of our routes (4 of 4). The table lists each route's side.
When can you see Smoke Creek Desert 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
Pyramid Lake Black Rock Desert Lassen Peak Duffer Peak Lake Tahoe Denver (DEN) Portland (PDX) Sacramento (SMF) Seattle (SEA) All routes