Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Richmond to Denver. The Rocky Mountain Front Range on approach into DEN from the right side is one of the most dramatic aerial views in domestic US flying — a sheer wall of 13,000-14,000 ft peaks rising from flat plains. That alone tips the balance. During the flight, the right side also picks up the Appalachian foothills fading away early in the flight and the Kansas/Colorado high plains transition.

During takeoff from Richmond International (RIC), sit on the Left side for the best views. RIC typically departs westbound on runway 16/34 or 02/20. Climbing out heading west-northwest toward DEN, the left (south) side gives you a clear view back over downtown Richmond and the James River winding through the city. You'll also catch the broader Richmond metro grid before the aircraft turns west. Notable sights include: James River through downtown Richmond, Richmond city grid and skyline, Pocahontas State Park forested area to the south, Chesterfield County suburban sprawl.

When landing at Denver International (DEN), sit on the Right side for the best views. DEN typically lands on its east-west runways (runway 17R/35L or 16R/34L oriented north-south, or 08/26 east-west). On approach from the east, the right (north) side gives you the best unobstructed view of the Front Range — the Rocky Mountains rising dramatically from the plains — including Longs Peak and the Indian Peaks Wilderness. The left side faces south toward the flat plains. Notable sights include: Rocky Mountain Front Range, Longs Peak (14,259 ft), Indian Peaks Wilderness, Denver metro grid spreading across the plains.

The flight from Richmond International (RIC) to Denver International (DEN) takes Approximately 3 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours 50 minutes westbound.

The flight crosses the Virginia Piedmont, then the Appalachian ridges of West Virginia and Kentucky (visible as parallel forested ridges from altitude), followed by the flat agricultural grid of Indiana and Illinois, the Missouri River corridor near Kansas City, and the increasingly arid high plains of Kansas and eastern Colorado before the dramatic Front Range rise near Denver.