Which side of the plane to sit on: Vancouver to San Francisco?
Flying from Vancouver to San Francisco? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
Sit on the LEFT: View of Tualatin Mountains (mountain range)
Best overall window for this flight.
Confidence: highTakeoff views
9:06 AMClimbing out of Vancouver toward the south, the right window looks out over the Gowlland Range and the Woodley Range (mountain ridges and peaks), with the coastline and the Whidby Island on the left.
- rightView of Gowlland Range (mountain range)
- rightView of Woodley Range (mountain range)
- leftView of the the sea coastline
- leftView of Whidby Island (island)
Flight path features
9:57 AMAcross the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Tualatin Mountains, the Quilcene Range and the Crater Lake (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Goblins Gate on the right.
- leftView of Tualatin Mountains (mountain range)
- leftView of Quilcene Range (mountain range)
- rightView of Goblins Gate (deep canyon)
- leftView of Crater Lake (vivid blue caldera lake)
Landing views
10:52 AMDescending into San Francisco from the north, the left window looks out over the Oat Hills and the Berkeley Hills (mountain ridges and peaks), with Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay and the Blodgett Canyon on the right.
- leftView of Oat Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of Berkeley Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (the red bridge and the bay)
- rightView of Blodgett 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 Vancouver to San Francisco?
Sit on the LEFT: View of Tualatin Mountains (mountain range). Across the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Tualatin Mountains, the Quilcene Range and the Crater Lake (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Goblins Gate on the right.
What views will you get at takeoff from Vancouver?
Climbing out of Vancouver toward the south, the right window looks out over the Gowlland Range and the Woodley Range (mountain ridges and peaks), with the coastline and the Whidby Island on the left.
What about on the descent into San Francisco?
Descending into San Francisco from the north, the left window looks out over the Oat Hills and the Berkeley Hills (mountain ridges and peaks), with Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay and the Blodgett Canyon on the right.