I've flown from Las Vegas to northern Colorado several times, and I used to try to get a seat where I could see the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately, it's usually so hazy, it doesn't look like much from the air. On clear days I really enjoy following the highways across the landscape because I have also driven those roads over the years.

I can see where I took the wrong turn by Lake Powell and went a couple of scenic hours out of my way, and there is another place on the Colorado Plateau where I decided to follow a certain back road. On the map it showed that it'd get me to my destination eventually, and it was another 2 hour detour. I ended up in a forest of aspen trees with thousands of beautiful columbines in bloom. It was worth the delay, but I was sorry I was alone so couldn't share it with someone else.


From the Wall Street Journal:

"The Most Scenic Routes
Pilots Reveal Their Favorite Views From The Air; Fuel Costs Nix 'Special Viewings

Sometimes the best vacation sightseeing begins before the wheels touch down on the runway.

A number of regularly traveled commercial flight paths showcase some of the nation's most beautiful vistas, from the Grand Canyon to Alaskan glaciers to historic lighthouses en route to Portland, Maine.


What's the most scenic route for airline travel in the U.S.? Scott McCartney on Lunch Break tells us what pilots revealed to him about their favorites and stories, such as how they used to do 360s over Niagara Falls before fuel prices got high. Photo: AP.

Pilots have their favorites views, and some tell stories of days before high fuel prices when they would seek permission from air-traffic controllers to pass close by prime sites or even double back to give passengers on both sides of a plane a great view.

A "canyon tour" of the Grand Canyon used to be a popular request to air-traffic controllers—pilots would descend to 5,000 to 10,000 feet above the canyon and fly over the top of the Colorado River for spectacular views while approaching Las Vegas.

Some pilots still request permission for a procedure known informally as the "Bay Tour" on southbound flights leaving San Francisco. Controllers instruct pilots to level off at 2,000 or 3,000 feet above sea level as they follow the bay out to sea, flying over the Bay Bridge, past Alcatraz and then over the Golden Gate Bridge. At the Golden Gate, flights turn to a southwesterly compass heading and climb to 10,000 feet to continue to Southern California.

Portland, Maine, and Las Vegas

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Pictometry (Portland); Google Earth (Hoover Dam) Getty Images (inset)
"This takes special coordination with air-traffic controllers, but if they are not too busy, they will usually comply with the request," said Russ Webber, a US Airways captain based in Phoenix. He's also asked controllers for routings that offer great views of Half Dome and El Capitan in Yosemite National Park and Lake Tahoe.

Many airlines these days require pilots to fly prescribed routes rather than deviate just for show. For example, a spokeswoman for Seattle-based Alaska Airlines, which flies over some of the most gorgeous terrain on the West Coast and in Alaska, said that because of fuel concerns, schedule timing and concerns about environmental emissions, "We have made it a policy to not fly off course for special viewing."

With permission from air-traffic controllers who are monitoring any other aircraft in the area, it's not dangerous for pilots to divert from prescribed navigation paths. Pilots do it all the time to jog around thunderstorm cells, shorten trips with short cuts or increase spacing with other aircraft. And when the weather is clear, visual approaches to airports leave the pilot to decide when and where to make turns if there's no other traffic.

Regularly used aircraft routes often showcase glorious scenery, even though the Federal Aviation Administration says they are designed for safety and functionality, not for sightseeing. Of course, it's hard to anticipate which side of the plane will get the better view, or even if there will be a view, but sometimes there is the possibility of strategic timing and seat choice.

New York
The FAA's "Expressway Visual RWY 31" approach to Runway 31 at New York's La Guardia Airport has jets cross over Prospect Park in Brooklyn then head into Queens. Planes then follow the Long Island Expressway to the 1965 World's Fair Globe. From there, it's a left turn with Citi Field on the left to line up for the runway.

For Runway 22 at La Guardia, passengers sometimes get a postcard-perfect view of Manhattan flying right up the Hudson River. People on the right side get gorgeous views of the Statue of Liberty, Manhattan skyscrapers and Central Park.

Tip: If you know that winds in New York are out of the south west, Runway 22 likely will be used at La Guardia, so sit on the right side and hope for that fabulous Empire State Building view.

Approaching Reagan National Airport

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Google Earth; Getty Images (inset)
Washington, D.C.
Washington's Reagan National Airport has a "River Visual" down the Potomac when arriving from the north that gives passengers on the left side a view of the White House, U.S. Capitol and national monuments.

Maine
The "Harbor Visual" approach to Runway 29 at Portland, Maine, is a favorite of some FAA route designers, a spokesman for the agency said. The route uses lighthouses built to guide ships not planes. Planes flying north join the approach path by the Cape Elizabeth Light, pass by the Portland Head Lighthouse, turn left at the Ram Island Ledge Light and then make a sharper left turn at the Portland Breakwater Lighthouse.

Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls happens to be right under a route that is often used for flights from New York to Chicago. United Airlines captain Denny Flannigan recalls giving scenic tours on United's Channel 9, the pilot-communications audio channel passengers can plug into. Flying Boeing 727 jets in the 1980s, the captain used a Rand McNally atlas to point out rivers, lakes and other topography. In the '90s, he recalls circling Niagara Falls in a Boeing 757. Even when he didn't do a 360-degree over the falls on the U.S.-Canadian border, Capt. Flannigan would sometimes dip a wing to give passengers a better view. "What a great and beautiful country we have," Capt. Flannigan said.

One time he pointed out his own house in Ohio to passengers on a Chicago-New York flight and asked them to wave to his children. So many passengers began waving out the windows that a flight attendant knocked on the cockpit door worried something was wrong.

Las Vegas / Los Angeles
Arrival routes into Las Vegas still remain some of the most scenic, pilots say, even though they no longer dip down closer to the Grand Canyon. On flights to Vegas from the East and South, arrival paths usually pass near the South Rim of the Canyon, often flying over a navigation beacon called "Peach Springs" roughly 10 miles south of the Colorado River.

Passengers on the right sometimes can get a view of the canyon, though it's often not close enough to get a great view down into the canyon, and visibility can be hazy. Passengers on the left get a great view of Hoover Dam and the stunning bridge that opened in 2010 there.

The "Harbor Visual" arrival route to Los Angeles International Airport doesn't involve a harbor. Planes cross Santa Monica flying east and make a turn to the south at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, with the Hollywood sign and downtown L.A. out the left side of the plane. Jets then follow the Harbor Freeway south and then turn toward the airport so the Hollywood Park Race Track is just off the right side of the airplane.

Alaska
Alaska Airlines pilots say flying into Juneau via the Gastineau Channel or out of Juneau over the Mendenhall Glacier are favorites, as are Seattle routes that pass by Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams and Mount Hood.

Mike Swanigan, an instructor pilot for Alaska Airlines, grew up in Anchorage and says flying into that city, crossing Prince William Sound with its surrounding glaciers and nearby mountains "is a religious experience for me."

"My heart stops when we roll in there on a clear day," he said.