Denver to Seattle: what the DEN to SEA corridor looks like
- Departure
- Denver International Airport, Denver, the United States
- Arrival
- Seattle Tacoma International Airport, Seattle, the United States
- Great-circle distance
- 1,645 km (888 nm)
- Typical airborne time
- 2h 25m
- Usual cruise levels
- FL330 to FL390
- Initial track
- northwest bound
Route overview
Denver International Airport (DEN) in Denver, the United States, to Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA) in Seattle, the United States, is a great-circle distance of 1,645 km, about 888 nautical miles. At typical jet cruise speeds, and with an allowance for climb, descent and approach, that works out to roughly 2h 25m of airborne time. The great-circle track leaves Denver northwest bound and spends most of the flight in mid latitude air.
Leaving Denver
Denver sits at about 5,400 ft directly east of the Front Range of the Rockies. Westerly wind spilling over the range creates downslope waves right where departures climb, so this is one of the more reliably lively climb outs in North America. The great-circle track leaves DEN northwest bound, and the first waypoint band of the flight sits close to 41.8N 109.1W. On a sector of 2h 25m, the climb to cruise takes roughly the first twenty to twenty five minutes.
Mountain wave over the Rockies
Along the way the track passes over high terrain close to one of the airports. The midpoint of the DEN to SEA track lies near 43.7N 113.5W, about 823 km from Denver, which is where the corridor spends its longest continuous stretch at cruise level. The track crosses the Rocky Mountains, where westerly wind lifted over the ridge line oscillates downwind and produces mountain wave turbulence at cruise level. On windy days that gives a defined bumpy segment of roughly twenty to thirty minutes, with settled air before and after it.
Cruise altitudes on this sector
Medium haul sectors typically level off between FL330 and FL390, with a single step climb once fuel burn has lightened the aircraft. Denver sits at about 5,431 ft, so the departure climb starts higher than usual and the initial part of the flight is often affected by terrain driven wind. Choice of level matters because turbulence is layered: a change of two or three thousand feet often puts the aircraft into calmer air, and that is one of the first adjustments a crew will request.
Arriving into Seattle
Arrivals into Seattle descend across the Cascades or up the Sound. Downslope wind off the mountains during an active westerly is the usual reason for movement in the last few minutes. Descent normally begins around 45.6N 117.9W, roughly 411 km before SEA, and takes about half an hour from cruise level to touchdown.
Seasonal pattern
Mountain wave activity follows the strength of the winter westerlies, so the most defined wave segments occur between November and March, and mid summer crossings are typically calm.
Flying this route with less worry
Turbulence on this corridor is a comfort issue rather than a safety one. Airliners are certified to handle loads well beyond anything the atmosphere produces here, crews are trained for it, and the seat belt sign is the tool that keeps the cabin settled. What this page adds is knowing in advance: the map and Calmness Score above use current WAFS forecast data for DEN to SEA, so you can see what to expect before you board.