Which side of the plane to sit on: Atlanta to San Francisco?
Flying from Atlanta to San Francisco? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
Sit on the RIGHT: View of Barren Hills (mountain range)
Best overall window for this flight.
Confidence: highTakeoff views
9:05 AMClimbing out of Atlanta toward the west, the right window looks out over the Barren Hills, the Hightower Falls and the Grace's High Falls (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Baltzell Mountains on the left.
- leftView of Baltzell Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of Barren Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Hightower Falls (waterfall)
- rightView of Grace's High Falls (waterfall)
Flight path features
11:17 AMAcross the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Ritter Range and Mesa Verde National Park (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Black Canyon Range and the Cow Canyon on the right.
- rightView of Black Canyon Range (mountain range)
- leftView of Ritter Range (mountain range)
- leftView of Mesa Verde National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- rightView of Cow Canyon (deep canyon)
Landing views
10:33 AMDescending into San Francisco from the east, the right window looks out over the Oat Hills, the Gravel Range and Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Niles Canyon on the left.
- rightView of Oat Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Gravel Range (mountain range)
- rightView of Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (the red bridge and the bay)
- leftView of Niles Canyon (deep canyon)
Good to know
- Based on the geometric great-circle route; real flight paths can differ with air-traffic routing and winds.
- "Left/right" means facing the direction of travel. Left is the seat A side, right is the F/K side (varies by aircraft).
- Glare advice assumes you want clear ground views; flip it if you'd rather watch the sunrise/sunset directly.
Frequently asked questions
Which side of the plane should you sit on from Atlanta to San Francisco?
Sit on the RIGHT: View of Barren Hills (mountain range). Across the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Ritter Range and Mesa Verde National Park (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Black Canyon Range and the Cow Canyon on the right.
What views will you get at takeoff from Atlanta?
Climbing out of Atlanta toward the west, the right window looks out over the Barren Hills, the Hightower Falls and the Grace's High Falls (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Baltzell Mountains on the left.
What about on the descent into San Francisco?
Descending into San Francisco from the east, the right window looks out over the Oat Hills, the Gravel Range and Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Niles Canyon on the left.