Las Vegas to Raleigh-Durham flight path: LAS to RDU

Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Las Vegas to Raleigh-Durham. The right side wins on the strength of the Lake Mead/Hoover Dam view during departure and a clearer skyline view on arrival into RDU; the middle of the flight over the Plains and Ozarks is fairly neutral for both sides, so the dramatic bookends decide it.

During takeoff from Mc Carran International (LAS), sit on the Right side for the best views. LAS departures typically launch south toward Henderson before turning east, and that turn swings the right side of the plane over Lake Mead and Hoover Dam — one of the most striking man-made/natural combos visible from any US airport. The left side mostly shows retreating Las Vegas suburbs and the Spring Mountains. Notable sights include: Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, Black Mountains, Henderson valley.

When landing at Raleigh Durham International (RDU), sit on the Right side for the best views. On the typical southwest-flowing approach into RDU's runway 23, the final turn brings the right side of the aircraft over the Raleigh skyline and Jordan Lake before touchdown, while the left side faces mostly unbroken Piedmont forest. Notable sights include: Downtown Raleigh skyline, Jordan Lake, Research Triangle Park tree canopy.

The flight from Mc Carran International (LAS) to Raleigh Durham International (RDU) takes about 4 hours 15 minutes. The shortest flight path between them is 2,021 miles (3,253 km); winds and air traffic control usually add a few percent.

Southern Colorado Rockies (San Juan Mountains and Sangre de Cristo foothills), the flat farmland of Kansas and Missouri, the Ozark Plateau, and the low ridgelines of the Appalachian foothills in Tennessee before the descent into the North Carolina Piedmont.