Best Plane Spotting Spots at US Airports

The best plane spotting airports in the US combine heavy traffic, public ground close to the runways and predictable flows: LAX, San Francisco, JFK, Chicago O’Hare, Las Vegas, Seattle’s Boeing Field and Dallas/Fort Worth. Each has one or two classic spots that local spotters have used for decades. Each spot comes down to three things: the runway it faces, the hour the sun sits behind you, and where you can legally park.

Los Angeles (LAX): In-N-Out, Imperial Hill, the Proud Bird

LAX runs west most of the time, landing on the 24 and 25 runways from the east and departing over the ocean. That makes three spots reliable.

In-N-Out Burger on Sepulveda

The burger stand at South Sepulveda Boulevard and West 92nd Street sits right under short final for runway 24R. Arrivals pass low enough to feel the noise in your chest. Aircraft are backlit for photos most of the day, so this is a spot for the experience and for silhouettes more than for clean shots. A small public park across the street has free parking on its north side; the restaurant’s garage is a bad idea, as staff have a long record of asking photographers to leave.

Imperial Hill (Jim Clutter Park)

On the south side of the airport in El Segundo, the observation area on East Imperial Avenue between Cypress and Sheldon streets looks over the 25 runways. You get 25R departures, 25L arrivals and plenty of taxiing traffic, with good light pretty much all day since the sun sits behind you. It is also the home base of the Airline Videos Live stream, so expect company on weekends.

The Proud Bird

This restaurant off Aviation Boulevard, just before West 111th Street, sits under short final for 25L and has a patio facing the approach. It is private property: buy a meal or a drink each visit.

San Francisco (SFO): Bayfront Park in Millbrae

SFO usually lands on the 28 runways over the bay and departs on the 1 runways. Bayfront Park, off Old Bayshore Highway in Millbrae, about a third of a mile from the Millbrae Avenue exit, covers 28L arrivals and taxiway traffic. Heavies photograph best here, since single-aisle jets look small at that distance. The light works from noon until sunset. Free parking is limited to roughly a dozen spaces, and heat haze is a real problem even in winter, so shoot early in the afternoon session. Fisherman’s Park, near the Broadway exit, also covers 28L arrivals.

Spots on airport property, such as parking garages and AirTrain platforms, have historically required an SFO photo permit, and some garage views are now screened. Stick to the public parks unless you have checked the current rules.

New York (JFK): Bayswater, Brookville, the TWA Hotel

• Bayswater Park, on Jamaica Bay on the south side of the airport, covers arrivals on 4L and 4R and sometimes 31L. Morning light is often good, and the variety of foreign carriers is outstanding.
• Brookville Park has raised mounds near the perimeter with views of 22L arrivals and 4R departures. Local spotters report few issues with security there.
• TWA Hotel, the restored Saarinen terminal, has a rooftop deck and pool overlooking 4L/22R and 13L/31R. A preserved Lockheed Constellation outside serves as a cocktail lounge. Plan around the hotel’s access rules for non-guests.

Chicago O’Hare (ORD): Mannheim Road and Schiller Park

O’Hare’s runway use changes with the wind more than most airports, so check the active flow on Flightradar24 before choosing a spot. I look at the last ten arrivals on the map: if they all line up from the same direction, the flow is set for a while.

• Rosemont Marketplace parking lot, on Mannheim Road near Touhy Avenue, gives a strong view of 22R arrivals.
• Scott Street dead end, reached from Mannheim and Lawrence, sits under 10L departures and near the 14L departure turn.
• Schiller Park Metra station lot on Ruby Street covers 28C arrivals.

Most O’Hare spots face east or north, so late-day light works best, especially from October to April. Livestreaming is off-limits on City of Chicago airport land, parking lots and the rental car center included, at the request of the local Airport Watch group and the Department of Aviation; the Schiller Park station falls outside that rule.

Las Vegas (LAS): the Sunset Road viewing area

Harry Reid International has an official viewing area on Sunset Road on the south side of the field, looking at the 8/26 runways for arrivals, departures and taxiing. There is almost no shade, and summer temperatures routinely pass 104°F (40°C), so go early or late. When the 19 runways are in use for arrivals, aircraft pass low over the Tropicana Avenue and Paradise Road area, with the best light in late afternoon. Heat shimmer at midday makes long-lens shots soft; this is where shutter speed matters less than timing.

Seattle and Dallas: Boeing Field and Founders’ Plaza

The Museum of Flight sits on the edge of Boeing Field (KBFI), open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 9404 East Marginal Way South. Beyond the collection, the museum looks onto the main runway, where new Boeing 737s arrive from the Renton factory for paint and finishing, test flights come and go, and freighters and business jets fill the gaps. Ruby Chow Park, at the north end of the field, sits under the approach, though you often shoot into the sun there.

Founders’ Plaza at Dallas/Fort Worth International reopened in February 2026 after almost four months of soil remediation. It has benches, public telescopes and a speaker that plays live air traffic control audio from the FAA tower, which makes it one of the most family-friendly spots in the country.

Bonus: Maho Beach, St. Maarten

The beach at the end of runway 10 at Princess Juliana International is the most famous spotting location in the world, with arrivals crossing the sand at very low height. The departure side is the dangerous one: in 2017 a tourist holding the fence was killed by jet blast from a departing airliner. Warning signs are posted and an additional fence has been added behind the runway end to keep people off the main one. Watch the landings from the beach, stay clear of the fence during departures, and keep phones and bags secured.

Planning a spotting trip

Two rules apply everywhere: check the wind before you leave, because it decides which spot is busy, and go in the last two or three hours of daylight when widebody banks and softer light tend to line up. Local spotters often know which runways are favored at which hours, so a quick question at the fence usually pays off. I have yet to find a spot where the regulars were not happy to share the next arrival.