7 Amazing Sights from Airplanes
With almost every phone equipped with a camera and digital cameras sometimes even smaller than phones, snapping skyline views from the window seat has become even more popular than ever. Not that we’re recommending you shell out the cash for a plane ticket just for the aerial view, but let’s just say that if you’re headed to any of the following destinations don’t leave your camera in your checked bag.
San Francisco Bay
You’ve seen photos of the Golden Gate Bridge from almost every angle imaginable, but to truly get a feel for the 4,200-foot long architectural wonder, an in-the-air-shot is a must-have for your collection. With the hilly city as your backdrop and the bay speckled with boats, the view will be breathtaking day or night and no matter which direction you approach from.
Keep an eye out for: The Golden Gate Bridge
Florida Everglades
Most commonly referred to as a swamp, the Everglades are actually a river that stretches 60 miles wide and 100 miles long, starting at the Kissimmee River near Orlando and ending at Lake Okeechobee. The land is overrun with sugarcane fields and is a fragile ecosystem that consists of wetlands sliced by river inlets. Depending on the season you’ll see golden yellows, a blend of greens, sometimes even fiery reds.
Keep an eye out for: Silly shapes formed by the river like you’d see in the clouds.
Mount St. Helens
Mount St. Helens hasn’t erupted since 1980, but being that it’s considered a “decade volcano” the potential for the next eruption is always on the horizon. If you’re not fortunate enough to see it in action when flying around the Seattle area you’ll still be lucky enough to marvel at its beauty as it peaks above the clouds 8,365 above sea level.
Keep an eye out for: The tiniest bit of billowing smoke.
The Grand Canyon
Some people refer to it as a really big hole in the ground, but the fact is that it’s the biggest hole in the ground – one of the Seven Wonders of the World in fact – and it’s really not comprehendible until you see it for yourself. Flying in or out of Las Vegas, Los Angeles, or Phoenix in the cold months, the canyon walls are covered with snow, but the warmer months allow the canyon’s burgundy, oranges, and yellows to show through, while the Colorado River flows below.
Keep an eye out for: Sunrise or sunset shots are breathtaking.
Yellowstone
The country’s first national park spans three states and has one of the most recognizable bodies of water in the west. The book “Window Seat: Reading the Landscape from the Air” by Gregory Dicum points out that you won’t be able to miss it from the air if you’re traveling from Denver or St. Louis to Seattle; the natural Yellowstone lakes are rounded as opposed to the other jagged bodies of water in the Rockies.
Keep an eye out for: Old Faithful
Mississippi River
Chances are if you’re flying across the country you’ll probably be crossing over the Mississippi. The view from the ground will be nothing like the scene from the sky. Stretching 2,431 miles from Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico through New Orleans, the Mississippi River is the fourth-largest in the world and tenth most powerful. You can’t “miss it.” Get it?
Keep an eye out for: How many turns you can count into the horizon.
Greenwich, Conn.
The home of some of the most expensive property in the country, Greenwich is green, beautiful and covered with mansion after mansion. Being that the city is less than 70 square miles – almost 50 of which is land and close to 20 square miles is water – there aren’t many routes that will fly that direction, which will make the view that much sweeter.
Keep an eye out for: A Regis Philbin sighting.
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WOW, I’m almost speechless and that’s hard to do to me lol:)
Those are fantastic photos!! LOVE the bridge one especially & the last one!!
Thank you for posting! Love your site!
Thanks Joey. Glad you like our site
Ooh, yellowstone is really breathtaking! Now I want to go there by plane just to see that in person. Thank you for the pics!
These pictures are absolutely breathtaking and beautiful. Thank you for posting them!
Some great shots! I too love the occasional surprise of the great view and the great fortune of having a camera and window seat.
Wonder why sometimes I get grief about “using your electronic device” (shortly after takeoff, with a non-RF transmitting SLR camera). Nice ones here, thanks for sharing.
I’ve never seen any of these from an airplane. Maybe I will have to start traveling more.
Great article! Thanks for sharing.
Wow. Those photos are awesome. I need to go to San Fran so I can see that pretty bridge from the air!
Now I have a new to do list! I’ll have to visit all those places from air!
I love you website! I found you from Fabulous Fun Finds! We are leaving for San Francisco soon! I can’t wait to see the golden gate bridge!
That picture of old faithful is amazing! How cool! Now I am going to look out the window when I fly for great photo ops!
ok this is making me want to get my butt out and travel more. WOW, i love this post and the inspiration and gives
I love that everglades picture… maybe someday I’ll be able to see it from the air!
I have flown over the Grand Canyon and agree – it is amazing to view from the air!
Truly breathtaking pictures! It’s amazing what you can see from a bird eye view.
Kas
Absolutely amazing!
I’d love to see Greenwich from the air
I agree with San Francisco Bay (especially at night, the view is stunning), the Florida Everglades as well as the Mississippi River. I haven’t seen the others but they look almost as impressive.
But really, Greenwich? No NY skyline, or Chicago, or Atlanta, but Greenwich?
The Grand Canyon and Yellowstone shots are great!
These are wonderful photos.
The Yellowstone photo looks great! Almost alien-like…
One could believe that it is a crater on Venus.
These photos are breathtaking. I’d love to experience a number of these places.
Amazing Views!!
beautiful pics, I would love to see some of those views first hand.
Yellowstone is my fave!
As a former Travel Agent I wanted to see if I had flown over any of them: to my surprise I have:
I think I have flown over all except for Yellowstone and I’m not ssure about Greenwich – which I’m sure I have (having lived in NYC for many years) – but I guess I wasn’t looking out the window… Sorry I missed you Regis!
Aside: I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of these fabulous sights with quite such picture perfect clarity from any plane – so thanks for the sideshow!