Which side of the plane to sit on: Toronto to San Francisco?
Flying from Toronto 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 Cedar Mountains (mountain range)
Best overall window for this flight.
Confidence: highTakeoff views
9:05 AMClimbing out of Toronto toward the west, the left window looks out over the McCormick Point, the Niagara Falls and the Great Falls (rugged cliffs and headlands), with Lake Simcoe on the right.
- leftView of McCormick Point (peninsula coastline)
- leftView of Niagara Falls (the thundering falls on the US-Canada border)
- leftView of Great Falls (waterfall)
- rightView of Lake Simcoe (large lake)
Flight path features
11:25 AMAcross the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Cedar Mountains, the Desert Creek Mountains and the Blacks Point (mountain ridges and peaks).
- leftView of Cedar Mountains (mountain range)
- leftView of Desert Creek Mountains (mountain range)
- leftView of Blacks Point (peninsula coastline)
- leftView of Lower Peninsula (peninsula coastline)
Landing views
10:47 AMDescending into San Francisco from the northeast, 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 Toronto to San Francisco?
Sit on the LEFT: View of Cedar Mountains (mountain range). Across the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the Cedar Mountains, the Desert Creek Mountains and the Blacks Point (mountain ridges and peaks).
What views will you get at takeoff from Toronto?
Climbing out of Toronto toward the west, the left window looks out over the McCormick Point, the Niagara Falls and the Great Falls (rugged cliffs and headlands), with Lake Simcoe on the right.
What about on the descent into San Francisco?
Descending into San Francisco from the northeast, 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.