Which side of the plane to sit on: Denver to Chicago?
Flying from Denver to Chicago? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.
The best window changes along the way.
Confidence: lowTakeoff views
9:06 AMClimbing out of Denver toward the east, the left window looks out over the Pawnee Hills and the Left Hand Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Rampart Range and the Platte Canyon on the right.
- leftView of Pawnee Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Rampart Range (mountain range)
- rightView of Platte Canyon (deep canyon)
- leftView of Left Hand Canyon (deep canyon)
Flight path features
10:02 AMAcross the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Pinhook Hills, the Sandpiper Cove and the Bass Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Dubuque Hills on the left.
- leftView of Dubuque Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Pinhook Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Sandpiper Cove (bay and coastline)
- rightView of Bass Bay (bay and coastline)
Landing views
12:03 PMDescending into Chicago from the west, the left window looks out over the Haystack Hills and the Gogebic Range (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Indiana Dunes National Park and the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve on the right.
- leftView of Haystack Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of Gogebic Range (mountain range)
- rightView of Indiana Dunes National Park (national park)
- rightView of Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve (waterfall)
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 Denver to Chicago?
It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.. Across the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Pinhook Hills, the Sandpiper Cove and the Bass Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Dubuque Hills on the left.
What views will you get at takeoff from Denver?
Climbing out of Denver toward the east, the left window looks out over the Pawnee Hills and the Left Hand Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Rampart Range and the Platte Canyon on the right.
What about on the descent into Chicago?
Descending into Chicago from the west, the left window looks out over the Haystack Hills and the Gogebic Range (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Indiana Dunes National Park and the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve on the right.