Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Denver to Lihue. Left side wins both ends of the flight. The Rocky Mountain Front Range on departure is one of the most dramatic climb-out views in the continental US, and Kauai's rugged eastern coastline and interior ridges reward left-side passengers on arrival. The transoceanic middle portion offers little differentiation between sides.

During takeoff from Denver International (DEN), sit on the Left side for the best views. DEN typically departs westbound on runway 25L/25R or northwestbound on 34L/34R. Either way, left-side passengers get the Rocky Mountain Front Range — a dramatic wall of peaks running north-south just 20 miles west of the airport. Right side faces the flat eastern plains with little of interest. Notable sights include: Rocky Mountain Front Range, Longs Peak (14,259 ft), Mount Evans (14,265 ft), Denver city grid.

When landing at Lihue (LIH), sit on the Left side for the best views. Lihue Airport on Kauai typically lands on runway 03 (northbound) or runway 21 (southbound). On the common runway 21 approach from the north, left-side passengers look east over the Haupu Ridge and the dramatic Na Pali-adjacent interior. On runway 03, left side faces the Hanamaulu Bay and eastern coastline. Either way, left provides the more rugged interior mountain views of Kauai. Notable sights include: Haupu Ridge, Hanamaulu Bay, Wailua River mouth, Kauai interior mountains.

The flight from Denver International (DEN) to Lihue (LIH) takes Approximately 6 hours 15 minutes.

After clearing the Rockies, the flight crosses the Great Basin desert of Nevada and Utah, then the Sierra Nevada range is visible briefly before reaching the California coast near Los Angeles. The remainder is open Pacific Ocean with occasional cloud systems. The Hawaiian island chain becomes visible in the final 45 minutes, with Oahu's Oahu coastline and Diamond Head potentially visible to the south before reaching Kauai.