Origin
Riverton, UT
Late night in Riverton on Sunday
Local time
5:42 AM
MDT
Current temp
63°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Riverton, 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
25m
Distance
20.2 mi
32 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
4 AM
0h 24m
★
6 AM
0h 26m
8 AM
0h 30m
10 AM
0h 27m
12 PM
0h 27m
3 PM
0h 28m
5 PM
0h 30m
8 PM
0h 24m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Riverton, UT
Brett Sayles
Salt Lake City, UT
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are planning to travel from Riverton to Salt Lake City, you are looking at a quick 20.1-mile journey that typically takes about 25 minutes. This trip is well-suited for a single day, as it functions more as a local commute than a sprawling expedition. You will primarily navigate via 12600 South, 12300 South, and the Veterans Memorial Highway. With a fuel budget of just $3, this is an incredibly economical trip within the Mountain West region. Since both cities are located in Utah, you will remain within the same geographic area throughout the drive. It is a straightforward route that offers maximum flexibility for your schedule.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Veterans Memorial Highway | 15.4 mi | 16m |
| 12600 South | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| 12300 South | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| SR 269 | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| West Temple | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| 400 South | 0.2 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 Riverton, UT and Salt Lake City, UT.
1
Start on this road
187 ft
·
15 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right
192 ft
·
15 sec
3
Turn uturn onto SR 71
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
12600 South
4
Continue on SR 71
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
12300 South
Use the left lane.
5
Take the ramp
0.5 mi
·
37 sec
Use the left lane.
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 85 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 20.1 — 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
Turn right
Navigation decision point
7
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
SR 71 / 12600 South
Turn uturn onto SR 71 / 12600 South
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach
6
3.2 mi into trip
|
~5m 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
18.6 mi into trip
|
~22m 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
20.1 mi into trip
|
~25m in
|
Main Street
Turn left onto Main Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.20 one way
$6.40 round trip
$4.03/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.22 | $3.36 | $6.71 |
| premium | $4.53 | $3.60 | $7.21 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.46 | $8.92 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.1 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 | 6.1 | 0 | $2.12 | $0.97 |
| Efficient EV | 5.1 | 0 | $1.77 | $0.81 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.1 | 0 | $2.83 | $1.29 |
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.
Destination
Salt Lake City, UT
Late night in Salt Lake City on Sunday
Local time
5:42 AM
MDT
Current temp
55°F
Showers And Thunderstorms then Snow Showers Likely
NNW 13 mph
84% chance
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
8 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
25m on the road
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
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 rather than a high-speed interstate cruise. Since the highway share for this route is 0%, you should prepare for constant maneuvering through local roads rather than long stretches of open pavement. There is no significant longest stretch to speak of, as the drive consists of frequent transitions rather than a single, uninterrupted path. The road's personality is defined by its stop-and-go nature, requiring your full attention as you navigate through the local infrastructure. Because you aren't spending time on major highways, the pace remains steady and predictable from start to finish.
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 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive.
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 20.2 miles you will encounter 8 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: Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (SR 71 / 12600 South): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 3.2 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 25m. Total distance: 20.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
25m 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: Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (SR 71 / 12600 South): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 3.2 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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