Which side of the plane to sit on: Chicago to San Francisco?
Flying from Chicago to San Francisco? 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
9:04 AMClimbing out of Chicago toward the west, the right window looks out over the Gogebic Range and the Columbia Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Indiana Dunes National Park and the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve on the left.
- rightView of Gogebic Range (mountain range)
- leftView of Indiana Dunes National Park (national park)
- leftView of Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve (waterfall)
- rightView of Columbia Bay (bay and coastline)
Flight path features
11:00 AMAcross the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Shoshone Mountains and the Northgate Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Sherman Mountains and the Grass Valley Canyon on the right.
- leftView of Shoshone Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of Sherman Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of Grass Valley Canyon (deep canyon)
- leftView of Northgate Canyon (deep canyon)
Landing views
10:58 AMDescending into San Francisco from the east, the right window looks out over the Berkeley Hills and Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Coyote Hills and the Niles Canyon on the left.
- leftView of Coyote Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Berkeley Hills (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 Chicago to San Francisco?
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 Shoshone Mountains and the Northgate Canyon (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Sherman Mountains and the Grass Valley Canyon on the right.
What views will you get at takeoff from Chicago?
Climbing out of Chicago toward the west, the right window looks out over the Gogebic Range and the Columbia Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Indiana Dunes National Park and the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve 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 Berkeley Hills and Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Coyote Hills and the Niles Canyon on the left.