Origin
Murray, UT
Afternoon in Murray on Wednesday
Local time
4:49 PM
MDT
Current temp
57°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Murray, UT to Payson, UT
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 2, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
59m
Distance
51.7 mi
83 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$9
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 55m
★
6 AM
0h 59m
8 AM
1h 9m
10 AM
1h 3m
12 PM
1h 2m
3 PM
1h 3m
5 PM
1h 8m
8 PM
0h 56m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Murray, UT
Stephen Leonardi
Payson, UT
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Murray, UT to Payson, UT covers 51.7 miles and takes about 59m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Veterans Memorial Highway, Main Street, State Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 48.7 miles on Veterans Memorial Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $8.97 one way before food or hotel costs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Veterans Memorial Highway | 48.7 mi | 51m |
| Main Street | 0.8 mi | 2m |
| State Street | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| 5300 South | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| 100 North | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| 4800 South | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Veterans Memorial Highway
— 48.7 mi, about 51m
Traffic on I-15
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 372 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~7,080 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~310 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
22.8×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a
6a
noon
6p
11p
Averaged across 79 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Murray, UT and Payson, UT.
1
Start on this road
27 ft
·
7 sec
·
this road
2
Turn left onto 4800 South
81 ft
·
4 sec
·
4800 South
3
Turn left onto US 89
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
State Street
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
4
Turn right onto SR 173
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
5300 South
Use the right lane.
5
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
56 sec
Toward I 15 South: Las Vegas
Use the left lane.
6
Merge onto I 15
49 mi
·
51 min
·
Veterans Memorial Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
Exit 250
Toward SR 115: Payson, Main St
8
Turn left onto SR 115
0.8 mi
·
2 min
·
Main Street
9
Turn left onto SR 198
179 ft
·
5 sec
·
100 North
10
Turn right
345 ft
·
25 sec
11
Arrive at destination
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
26 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 11 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 25.9 miles from Murray, UT, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 85 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 50.6 — 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
|
4800 South
Turn left onto 4800 South
Navigation decision point
6
0.8 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
SR 173 / 5300 South
Turn right onto SR 173 / 5300 South
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
1.5 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Take the ramp toward I 15 South: Las Vegas
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward I 15 South: Las Vegas
5
1.9 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
I 15 / Veterans Memorial Highway
Merge onto I 15 / Veterans Memorial Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
50.6 mi into trip
|
~56m in
Take the exit toward SR 115: Payson, Main St
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 250
Toward SR 115: Payson, Main St
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.97 one way
$17.93 round trip
$4.41/gal
25.4 MPG avg
18 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $9.38 | $18.75 |
| premium | $4.95 | $10.08 | $20.15 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $11.40 | $22.79 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$9
Estimated CO2 emission: 18.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 15.5 | 0 | $5.43 | $2.48 |
| Efficient EV | 12.9 | 0 | $4.52 | $2.07 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 20.7 | 0 | $7.24 | $3.31 |
Gas CO2
18 kg
EV CO2
6 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.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Payson, UT
Afternoon in Payson on Wednesday
Local time
4:49 PM
MDT
Current temp
53°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
4 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
59m 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?
51.7 mi in 59m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 48.7 mi on Veterans Memorial Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near 4800 South.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 59m drive. You will face about 8 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (4800 South): Navigation decision point; at 0.8 miles (SR 173 / 5300 South): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.5 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
4,742 ft
4,302 ft
Total Climb
708 ft
Total Descent
353 ft
Highest Point
4,742 ft
~14.8 mi in
Elevation Range
440 ft
Notable High Points
4,742 ft at ~14.8 miles
+136 ft prominence
4,642 ft at ~29.6 miles
+75 ft prominence
4,559 ft at ~44.3 miles
+10 ft prominence
About the Cities
Starting in Murray, UT
Full guide →Founded 1848
Top landmarks
- • Henry J. Wheeler Farm — house in Utah, United States of America
- • Murray Downtown Historic District — historic district in Murray, Utah, United States
Arriving in Payson, UT
Full guide →Founded 1850
Top landmarks
- • Payson Historic District — historic district in Utah, United States
- • Payson Presbyterian Church — church building in Payson, Utah, United States
- • Peteetneet Museum and Cultural Arts Center — historical school and museum in Payson, Utah, United States
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 59m. Total distance: 51.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
59m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 48.7 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 (4800 South): Navigation decision point; at 0.8 miles (SR 173 / 5300 South): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.5 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Payson, 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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