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Trip from Draper, UT to Salt Lake City, UT

Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

24m

Distance

18.9 mi

30 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 7 min
4 AM
0h 22m ★
6 AM
0h 24m
8 AM
0h 29m
10 AM
0h 26m
12 PM
0h 25m
3 PM
0h 26m
5 PM
0h 28m
8 PM
0h 23m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

cloth merchant

Draper, UT

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Salt Lake City, UT, UT

Salt Lake City, UT

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

If you are traveling from Draper to Salt Lake City, expect a quick 19-mile journey that typically takes about 25 minutes. This route stays entirely within the Mountain West region of Utah, making it a straightforward connection rather than a long-haul excursion. Because the trip is so efficient, you do not need to worry about overnight stops or extensive travel planning. Budgeting around $3 for fuel should be more than enough to cover the distance comfortably. It is a perfect day trip for commuters or those heading into the city for a brief visit.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Veterans Memorial Highway 15.4 mi 16m
12300 South 1.2 mi 2m
SR 269 0.7 mi 1m
West Temple 0.3 mi <1m
400 South 0.2 mi <1m
900 East 0.1 mi <1m
Pioneer Road 0.1 mi <1m
Main Street <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Veterans Memorial Highway — 15.4 mi, about 16m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Draper, UT and Salt Lake City, UT.

1

Start on this road

141 ft · 16 sec · this road
2

Turn left onto Pioneer Road

0.1 mi · 24 sec · Pioneer Road
3

Turn right onto 900 East

0.1 mi · 30 sec · 900 East
4

Turn left onto 12300 South

1.2 mi · 2 min · 12300 South
Use the straight lane.
5

Take the ramp

0.5 mi · 45 sec
Toward I 15 North: Salt Lake City
6

Merge onto I 15

15 mi · 16 min · Veterans Memorial Highway
Toward Salt Lake City Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 26 sec
Exit 306 Toward 600 South Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Continue on SR 269

0.7 mi · 1 min · SR 269
Exit 121; 306 Toward SR 269: 600 South
9

Turn left onto SR 270

0.3 mi · 50 sec · West Temple
10

Turn right onto US 89

0.2 mi · 30 sec · 400 South
11

Turn left onto Main Street

80 ft · 3 sec · Main Street
Use the left lane.
12

Arrive at destination

Main Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 9

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 18.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | Pioneer Road

Turn left onto Pioneer Road

Navigation decision point

6
0.3 mi into trip | ~1m in | 12300 South

Turn left onto 12300 South

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight lane.
6
2 mi into trip | ~4m in | I 15 / Veterans Memorial Highway

Merge onto I 15 / Veterans Memorial Highway toward Salt Lake City

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward Salt Lake City
7
17.4 mi into trip | ~20m in

Take the exit toward 600 South

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 306 Toward 600 South
7
18.9 mi into trip | ~24m in | Main Street

Turn left onto Main Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.99 one way

$5.99 round trip

$4.03/gal 25.4 MPG avg 7 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.22 $3.14 $6.28
premium $4.53 $3.37 $6.74
diesel $5.61 $4.17 $8.35

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 6.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 5.7 0 $1.98 $0.91
Efficient EV 4.7 0 $1.65 $0.76
EV Truck/SUV 7.6 0 $2.65 $1.21

Gas CO2

7 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (71% less)

This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.

DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.

Travel Intel

Current conditions at both ends of the drive.

Forecast as of Apr 19, 2026

Origin

Draper, UT

Morning in Draper on Sunday

Local time

8:22 AM

MDT

Current temp

42°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Salt Lake City, UT

Morning in Salt Lake City on Sunday

Local time

8:22 AM

MDT

Current temp

48°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Time zone

Same local time

Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.

Temperature spread

6 degrees warmer at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

24m on the road

Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

What kind of drive is this?

Expect a turn-heavy local drive that avoids major highways entirely, as this route features a 0% highway share. You will navigate via Pioneer Road, 700 East, and 12300 South, which keeps you off the interstate and on local surface streets. Since the longest stretch is 0 miles on Pioneer Road, you should be prepared for frequent turns and intersection navigation. The experience behind the wheel is centered on local transit, requiring your full attention to manage the urban flow rather than cruise-controlled highway driving.

Only 4% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 15.4 mi on Veterans Memorial Highway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

5/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 9 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Pioneer Road.

Driving Effort 5/10

Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 18.9 miles you will encounter 9 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start (Pioneer Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (12300 South): Lane positioning matters here; at 2 miles (I 15 / Veterans Memorial Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.

About the Cities

Arriving in Salt Lake City, UT

Full guide →

Salt Lake City is the capital of, and largest city in, the U.S. state of Utah. It is a destination for outdoor recreation, with nearby mountains full of hiking trails and ski resorts made famous by the 2002 Winter Olympics. It is also well known as the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon church). The city is set to host the Winter Olympics again in 2034. Salt Lake City has about 200,000 residents within the city limits (2019), and is the downtown hub for a metro area of over a million people. It sits on the border between the Rocky Mountains and the Great Basin, lying in the Salt Lake Valley along the Wasatch Range urban corridor, sandwiched between the Wasatch Mountains to the east and the Oquirrh Mountains and the Great Salt Lake to the west.

City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 24m. Total distance: 18.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

24m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (4%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 15.4 miles on Veterans Memorial Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.

The main spots that need attention: near the start (Pioneer Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (12300 South): Lane positioning matters here; at 2 miles (I 15 / Veterans Memorial Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes — Timpanogos Cave National Monument. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Salt Lake City, UT before heading back.

How this page is built

Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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