Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
22m
Distance
16 mi
26 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Little Cottonwood Creek Valley, UT
Matthew Montrone
Salt Lake City, UT
Wikimedia Commons
Little Cottonwood Creek Valley, UT to Salt Lake City, UT is 16 miles and takes about 22 minutes via Veterans Memorial Highway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip connects the Mountain West region within Utah, offering a straightforward local drive. Given its brevity, it’s a convenient option for a quick commute or an easy transition between mountain scenery and urban amenities. You'll find that most of the journey utilizes well-maintained highways, making for a smooth experience.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Veterans Memorial Highway | 7.9 mi | 8m |
| Belt Route | 3 mi | 3m |
| Highland Drive | 1.8 mi | 3m |
| SR 269 | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| West Temple | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Creek Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| 400 South | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Willow Stream Drive | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Step-by-step road directions between Little Cottonwood Creek Valley, UT and Salt Lake City, UT.
Start on Stream View Drive
Turn left onto Willow Stream Drive
At end of road, turn right onto Creek Road
Turn right onto Highland Drive
Take the ramp
Merge onto I 215
Take the exit
Keep slight right at fork
Merge onto I 15
Take the exit
Continue on SR 269
Turn left onto SR 270
Turn right onto US 89
Turn left onto Main Street
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 15.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
At end of road, turn right onto Creek Road
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
Take the exit toward I 15: Salt Lake City, Las Vegas
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight right at fork toward I 15 North: Salt Lake
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward 600 South
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Turn left onto Main Street
Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$2.54 one way
$5.07 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.22 | $2.66 | $5.32 |
| premium | $4.53 | $2.85 | $5.71 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.53 | $7.07 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.8 | 0 | $1.68 | $0.77 |
| Efficient EV | 4 | 0 | $1.40 | $0.64 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.4 | 0 | $2.24 | $1.02 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (67% 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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Morning in Little Cottonwood Creek Valley on Sunday
Local time
6:34 AM
MDT
Current temp
67°F
Unavailable
Destination
Morning in Salt Lake City on Sunday
Local time
6:34 AM
MDT
Current temp
48°F
Unavailable
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
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.
This route is characterized by frequent turns, suggesting a local drive rather than a continuous highway cruise. With a highway share of approximately 40%, you'll experience a mix of faster road segments and more intricate local road navigation. The longest uninterrupted stretch is 7.9 miles on Veterans Memorial Highway, after which you'll encounter more varied driving conditions. Expect to adjust your speed and attention as you transition between the main thoroughfares and the Belt Route and Highland Drive.
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near Creek Road.
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 12 decision points packed into just 16 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 22m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (Creek Road): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 5.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 6.1 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Little Cottonwood Creek Valley, UT to Salt Lake City, UT, road signs begin pointing toward Las Vegas along the way.
Las Vegas
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).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 22m. Total distance: 16 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
22m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
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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