New York to Denver flight path: LGA to DEN

Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from New York to Denver. The left side wins the takeoff moment with Manhattan, but the right side carries the flight home with the Front Range and Rocky Mountain foothills appearing during the Denver approach — a more sustained and dramatic payoff than the brief skyline glimpse at departure.

During takeoff from La Guardia (LGA), sit on the Left side for the best views. Departing LGA to the south before turning west gives left-side passengers a brief but classic view of the Manhattan skyline and the East River, something the north-facing side simply doesn't get. It's a short window of urban drama before the flight settles into featureless plains for hours. Notable sights include: Manhattan skyline, East River, Rikers Island, LaGuardia's Bowery Bay shoreline.

When landing at Denver International (DEN), sit on the Right side for the best views. On the descent into Denver, arrivals typically swing south to align with the north-south runways, putting the Front Range and the first true peaks of the Rockies on the right side of the aircraft. It's the only real mountain payoff on this otherwise flat route. Notable sights include: Front Range foothills, Rocky Mountain peaks near Denver, South Platte River valley, high plains grassland.

The flight from La Guardia (LGA) to Denver International (DEN) takes about 4 hours 15 minutes. The shortest flight path between them is 1,616 miles (2,600 km); winds and air traffic control usually add a few percent.

The route crosses the Allegheny Plateau of Pennsylvania, the farmland of Ohio and Indiana, and the Mississippi River near the Iowa-Illinois border, then continues over the flat expanses of Nebraska and eastern Colorado before the Rockies appear near Denver.