UpToWhere
UpToWhere · Can you see it?

Can you see Mount Orizaba, Catalina Island from Santa Monica Pier, Los Angeles?

Yes — you can

70.8 km line of sight toward the south (bearing 174°), computed on 30 m Copernicus terrain with Earth curvature and standard atmospheric refraction.

Twenty-six miles across the sea — the old song made Catalina a promise. On smog-free days the island stands sharp off the Los Angeles coastline, and the terrain says the view is honest year-round; the haze is what steals it.

3D terrain view from Santa Monica Pier, Los Angeles toward Mount Orizaba, Catalina Island
Straight-line distance70.8 km
Direction174° south
Observer eye level2 m
Target elevation640 m
Curvature drop at the target342 m
Clearance margin+116 m

From Santa Monica Pier, Los Angeles, at an eye level of 2 m, the sightline to Mount Orizaba, Catalina Island runs 70.8 km and clears every ridge in between. Over that distance Earth's curvature drops the target 342 m below a flat-earth line — but at 640 m, it still rises above the horizon. The view is geometrically real: whether you actually get it depends on haze, not terrain.

The line on the map

Satellite map with the sightline from Santa Monica Pier, Los Angeles to Mount Orizaba, Catalina Island drawn in red
The 70.8 km sightline over satellite imagery, drawn as the great-circle path light would follow.

The terrain profile

-0 m500 m1,000 m1,500 m sea level (curved) sightlineSanta Monica PierMount Orizaba 0 km70.8 km204060
Elevation profile from Santa Monica Pier, Los Angeles to Mount Orizaba, Catalina Island. Like every elevation profile, the vertical axis is stretched (≈15× here) — but the geometry is real: mid-path, Earth's surface genuinely stands 98 m above the straight line between the two points (the dashed arc is sea level). Light bends only slightly around that bulge, so whatever it covers stays hidden.
Check your own two points with the calculator →

Frequently asked questions

Can you see Mount Orizaba, Catalina Island from Santa Monica Pier, Los Angeles?

Yes. The terrain-limited line of sight is clear across 70.8 km, accounting for Earth's curvature and standard atmospheric refraction. Atmospheric haze is the only thing that can hide the view.

How far is Mount Orizaba, Catalina Island from Santa Monica Pier, Los Angeles in a straight line?

70.8 km great-circle distance, on a bearing of 174° (south).

How much does Earth's curvature hide over 70.8 km?

At the target's distance the curvature drop is about 342 m: anything lower than that (relative to the observer's horizon plane) is hidden behind the bulge of the Earth. Mount Orizaba, Catalina Island is tall enough to rise above it.

How was this calculated?

UpToWhere walks the full terrain profile between the two points on 30 m-resolution Copernicus GLO-30 elevation data, applying Earth curvature and standard atmospheric refraction (k = 0.13) — the same physics surveyors use. You can run the same point-to-point check between any two places on Earth.

More famous sightlines

Wondering about a different pair?

The free calculator shows how far you can see from any point on Earth. Pro adds point-to-point checks — this exact analysis, between any two places you choose.

Open the calculator