Seeing Yellowstone Lake from a plane

7 ★ best score on our routes · rated 7 of 10

Photo: NASA, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

At 7,733 ft, the largest lake above 7,000 ft in North America, and its West Thumb bay is itself a volcanic caldera. It freezes over for about half the year. Look for geyser basins steaming along the west shore.

45 of our routes pass it. Wyoming

The easy pick

Denver to Jackson: sit on the right, on the way down.

Which side, by route

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 Yellowstone Lake from?

It depends on the direction: the right on most of our routes (29 of 45). The table lists each route's side.

When can you see Yellowstone 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

Grand Prismatic Spring Electric Peak Grand Teton Granite Peak Francs Peak Atlanta (ATL) Boston (BOS) Portland (PDX) Charlotte (CLT) All routes