Which side of the plane to sit on: San Francisco to Vancouver?
Flying from San Francisco to Vancouver? 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 San Francisco toward the north over the Pacific, the left window looks out over the Mayacamas Mountains, the coastline and Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Berkeley Hills on the right.
- rightView of Berkeley Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of Mayacamas Mountains (mountain range)
- leftView of the Pacific coastline
- leftView of Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (the red bridge and the bay)
Flight path features
9:57 AMAcross the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Oat Hills, the Tualatin Mountains and the Crater Lake (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Blodgett Canyon on the left.
- rightView of Oat Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Tualatin Mountains (mountain range)
- leftView of Blodgett Canyon (deep canyon)
- rightView of Crater Lake (vivid blue caldera lake)
Landing views
10:52 AMDescending into Vancouver from the south, the right window looks out over the Quilcene Range and the Whidby Island (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Gowlland Range and the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve on the left.
- rightView of Quilcene Range (mountain range)
- leftView of Gowlland Range (mountain range)
- rightView of Whidby Island (island)
- leftView of Gulf Islands National Park Reserve (national park)
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 San Francisco to Vancouver?
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 Oat Hills, the Tualatin Mountains and the Crater Lake (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Blodgett Canyon on the left.
What views will you get at takeoff from San Francisco?
Climbing out of San Francisco toward the north over the Pacific, the left window looks out over the Mayacamas Mountains, the coastline and Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Berkeley Hills on the right.
What about on the descent into Vancouver?
Descending into Vancouver from the south, the right window looks out over the Quilcene Range and the Whidby Island (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Gowlland Range and the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve on the left.