Which side of the plane to sit on: New York to Denver?
Flying from New York to Denver? 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 New York toward the west, the left window looks out over the Watchung Outliers and Moravian Church Settlements (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Sparta Mountain and the Long Island on the right.
- leftView of Watchung Outliers (mountain range)
- rightView of Sparta Mountain (mountain range)
- leftView of Moravian Church Settlements (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- rightView of Long Island (island)
Flight path features
10:47 AMAcross the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Wolf Rocks and the Cedar Creek Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Indian Hills and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park on the right.
- rightView of Indian Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of Wolf Rocks (mountain range)
- rightView of Cuyahoga Valley National Park (national park)
- leftView of Cedar Creek Canyon (deep canyon)
Landing views
10:30 AMDescending into Denver from the east, the left window looks out over the Rampart Range and the Platte Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Pawnee Hills and the Left Hand Canyon on the right.
- rightView of Pawnee Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of Rampart Range (mountain range)
- leftView of Platte Canyon (deep canyon)
- rightView of Left Hand 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 New York to Denver?
It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.. Across the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Wolf Rocks and the Cedar Creek Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Indian Hills and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park on the right.
What views will you get at takeoff from New York?
Climbing out of New York toward the west, the left window looks out over the Watchung Outliers and Moravian Church Settlements (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Sparta Mountain and the Long Island on the right.
What about on the descent into Denver?
Descending into Denver from the east, the left window looks out over the Rampart Range and the Platte Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Pawnee Hills and the Left Hand Canyon on the right.