Seeing South Bay Salt Ponds from a plane
Ponds at the south end of San Francisco Bay, colored red, orange and green by salt-loving microbes as brine evaporates. Look for the patchwork of bright pastel rectangles on the bay's edge.
22 of our routes pass it. California · rated 6 of 10
The easy pick
San Francisco to Seattle: sit on the right, on the climb, 3 min after takeoff.
Which side, by route
| Route | Side | When |
|---|---|---|
| Austin to San Francisco | Left | on the way down |
| Boston to San Francisco | Left the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| Chicago to San Francisco | Left | on the way down |
| Denver to San Francisco | Left | on the way down |
| Honolulu to San Francisco | Right | on the way down |
| Houston to San Francisco | Left | on the way down |
| Las Vegas to San Francisco | Left | on the way down |
| London to San Francisco | Right | on the way down |
| Los Angeles to San Francisco | Right | on the way down |
| Minneapolis to San Francisco | Right | on the way down |
| New York to San Francisco | Left the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| Newark to San Francisco | Left the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| Portland to San Francisco | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| San Diego to San Francisco | Right | on the way down |
| San Francisco to Boston | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the climb, 3 min after takeoff |
| San Francisco to New York | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the climb, 3 min after takeoff |
| San Francisco to Chicago | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the climb, 3 min after takeoff |
| San Francisco to Seattle | Right | on the climb, 3 min after takeoff |
| San Francisco to Los Angeles | Left | on the climb, 7 min after takeoff |
| San Francisco to Las Vegas | Left the other side is usually better on this route | 8 min after takeoff |
| Seattle to San Francisco | Right the other side is usually better on this route | on the way down |
| Washington to San Francisco | Right | 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 South Bay Salt Ponds from?
It depends on the direction: the right on most of our routes (12 of 22). The table lists each route's side.
When can you see South Bay Salt Ponds 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
Moffett Field and Hangar One Googleplex Stanford University San Mateo-Hayward Bridge Apple Park Austin (AUS) San Francisco (SFO) Boston (BOS) Chicago (ORD) All routes