Origin
Payson, UT
Late night in Payson on Sunday
Local time
2:08 AM
MDT
Current temp
72°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Payson, 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
1h 6m
Distance
58.7 mi
94 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$9
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 1m
★
6 AM
1h 7m
8 AM
1h 17m
10 AM
1h 10m
12 PM
1h 9m
3 PM
1h 11m
5 PM
1h 17m
8 PM
1h 3m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Payson, UT
Wikimedia Commons
Salt Lake City, UT
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Traveling from Payson to Salt Lake City covers a quick 58.9-mile distance, typically taking about 55 minutes to complete. This trip is perfect as a single-day excursion, meaning you won't need to worry about overnight lodging. You will primarily navigate via Main Street, 100 North, and I-15 North to make the connection between these two Mountain West locations. With a fuel cost estimate of just $9, it is an incredibly economical journey for your travel budget. Since there are no required stops, you have the flexibility to power through the drive without needing to plan for lengthy breaks.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Veterans Memorial Highway | 55.9 mi | 59m |
| Main Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| SR 269 | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| West Temple | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| 400 South | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| 100 North | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Veterans Memorial Highway
— 55.9 mi, about 59m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Payson, UT and Salt Lake City, UT.
1
Start on this road
36 ft
·
8 sec
·
this road
2
Turn left onto Main Street
107 ft
·
4 sec
·
Main Street
3
Turn right
177 ft
·
15 sec
4
Turn right
158 ft
·
12 sec
5
Turn right
48 ft
·
5 sec
6
Turn right onto SR 198
206 ft
·
10 sec
·
100 North
7
Turn left onto SR 115
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Main Street
Use the left lane.
8
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
50 sec
Toward I 15 North: Salt Lake City
9
Merge onto I 15; US 6
56 mi
·
59 min
·
Veterans Memorial Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
26 sec
Exit 306
Toward 600 South
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Continue on SR 269
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
SR 269
Exit 121; 306
Toward SR 269: 600 South
12
Turn left onto SR 270
0.3 mi
·
50 sec
·
West Temple
13
Turn right onto US 89
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
400 South
14
Turn left onto Main Street
80 ft
·
3 sec
·
Main Street
Use the left lane.
15
Arrive at destination
Main Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
29 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 13 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 29.3 miles from Payson, 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 125 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 58.7 — 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
|
Main Street
Turn left onto Main Street
Navigation decision point
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
Turn right
Navigation decision point
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
SR 198 / 100 North
Turn right onto SR 198 / 100 North
Navigation decision point
7
57.1 mi into trip
|
~1h 3m 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
58.7 mi into trip
|
~1h 6m in
|
Main Street
Turn left onto Main Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$9.30 one way
$18.60 round trip
$4.03/gal
25.4 MPG avg
21 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.22 | $9.75 | $19.50 |
| premium | $4.53 | $10.47 | $20.94 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $12.96 | $25.92 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$9
Estimated CO2 emission: 20.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 17.6 | 0 | $6.16 | $2.82 |
| Efficient EV | 14.7 | 0 | $5.14 | $2.35 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 23.5 | 0 | $8.22 | $3.76 |
Gas CO2
21 kg
EV CO2
7 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
Salt Lake City, UT
Late night in Salt Lake City on Sunday
Local time
2:08 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
24 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
1h 6m 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 as you transition from the initial city streets onto the interstate. While the route relies on I-15 North, you will find that the lack of a dedicated highway-only percentage means you spend a significant amount of time navigating through local infrastructure. The longest stretch you will encounter is 0 miles on Main Street, emphasizing the frequent turns and shifts in road type you should prepare for. The personality of this drive is defined by its practical, functional nature rather than long, uninterrupted highway cruising. Getting behind the wheel here requires you to stay alert for shifting road conditions as you move toward the state capital.
Only 1% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 55.9 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 Main Street.
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 1h 6m drive. You will face about 12 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 (Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles: Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (SR 198 / 100 North): Navigation decision point.
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 1h 6m. Total distance: 58.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 6m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (1%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 55.9 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 (Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles: Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (SR 198 / 100 North): Navigation decision point.
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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