The Open Road Travel

A road trip from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas takes you between two of the most populous cities in the Great Basin region.

A 420 mile road trip from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas takes 6 hours to drive and takes you through some of the most scenic parts of the U.S. You’ll travel from the Great Salt Lake, across the Great Basin, to the “Entertainment Capital Of The World”.

Read on to discover all there is to see and do on this incredible adventure, so you can plan the perfect travel itinerary for when you make the trip yourself.

A road trip from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas covers 420 miles (677 km) and takes 6 hours to drive. The best route for such a road trip is also incredibly scenic and straightforward. You simply join I-15 in Salt Lake City and drive it the whole way to Las Vegas.

Most of the journey will be spent in Utah, but parts will be in Nevada and even Arizona as well.

The best time for a road trip from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas is from early May to mid-July.

This period is when both our route and destination will experience pleasantly warm, dry temperatures, while avoiding the extreme highs and risk of wildfires which are present from late July to October.

This means our suggested period will enable you to enjoy all of the sights, sounds, and attractions along the way, in the safest, most comfortable way possible.

With a road trip from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas only taking 6 hours to drive, many people will push on to complete it in a single day. However, those who plan to make the most of the journey will want to make at least one overnight stop, to ensure they are able to enjoy all the sights and sounds.

There are a few great choices along the way, but the best place to stop on a road trip from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas is Filmore, Utah. While not the most famous town, it is filled with and surrounded by great attractions, while being at roughly the halfway point of our route, making it ideal all round.

Founded in 1851 and named after reigning U.S. President Millard Filmore, it was the capital of the historic Utah Territory from its inception until 1856. The Utah Territorial Statehouse, which was built during this period, still stands and is known as the Utah Territorial State House State Park Museum.

Boasting historic exhibits, artefacts, furniture, décor, and architecture, it is a great stop for anyone interested in that era. Those interested in the region’s even older history may also want to explore the Chalk Hill Hieroglyphics in the hills to the east.

Being sandwiched between two wildlife refuges, the Circus Hollow Wildlife Management Area and the Halfway Hill Wildlife Management Area, and nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains also makes it a great stop for nature lovers. This ensure Filmore truly offers something for everyone.

The Comfort Inn & Suites Filmore I-15 is conveniently located beside the freeway in the south of the city, providing easy access to the attractions, without you having to divert too much from the route.

Each of the rooms is basic yet modern and comfortable. They all offer amenities like a flat screen cable TV, microwave, refrigerator, hairdryer, work desk, and ironing facilities. The suites also include a sofa bed.

Communal features like a heated pool and hot tub, news and popcorn stands, a complimentary hot breakfast, and free parking and Wi-Fi will then help you to completely relax throughout your stay. Laundry services are also available on request.

We will now move on to looking at our list of the top attractions on a road trip from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas. We will outline all of the very best sights and sounds located along this incredible route, to ensure you can plan a perfect travel itinerary for your dream vacation.

The Timpanogos Cave National Monument covers 250 acres and was designated in 1922 to protect a system of caves on Mount Timpanogos and the surrounding Timpanogos Cave Historic District.

The cave system was first discovered in 1887 by Martin Hansen. It is known to contain at least 3 caves, Timpanogos Cave, Hansen Cave, and Middle Cave.

Between them, they are known for their wide range of beautiful geological features, like helictites, stalactites, stalagmites, cave bacon, cave popcorn, cave columns, cave drapery, and flowstone.

With guided tours and introduction to caving tours available between May and September, or when snowfall allows, this is a great way to experience another side of the landscape on your journey.

Provo is the 4th most populous city in Utah and the largest outside of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. One of many Mormon cities in the state, it is home to both the LDS church’s largest missionary training centre and largest university, Brigham Young University.

It has an abundance of artistic and cultural attractions to offer, like the Covey Center For The Arts, Provo City Library At Academy Square, Provo Recreation Center, Provo City Center Temple, Provo Utah Temple, Lakeside Storage & Museum, and Utah Valley Convention Center.

Throw in countless other points of interest and cultural events that are held here throughout the year, and Provo is a great place to learn about a culture rarely seen outside the state of Utah.

Yuba State Park is an almost 16,000 acre preserve that surrounds the Yuba Reservoir in central Utah. It takes its name from the dam which was built by locals in the area and known as the U.B. Dam.

With a vast sandy shoreline around the water, Yuba State Park is an extremely popular destination for activities like boating, camping, canoeing, fishing, picnicking, swimming, and off-roading. It also makes a great place to stop and relax on a long drive or road trip.

One of 5 national parks in Utah, Bryce Canyon National Park is the 15th most visited national park in the United States, drawing in over 2.1 million annual visitors. It is also the 16th oldest park in the system, having been founded in February 1928, while its 35,835 acre area makes it the 12th smallest.

The area has been the home of various Native American tribes for centuries and the park was created to protect and preserve its iconic rock features, which includes a natural geological amphitheatre and countless red hoodoos.

Boasting a vibrant array of wildlife that includes badgers, bears, bobcats, deer, foxes, prairie dogs, elk, porcupine, pronghorn, 15 different types of lizards and amphibians, and nearly 200 different species of birds, it is a dream stop for lovers of nature and geology.

Dixie National Forest is an almost 2 million acre area in south Utah that is the state’s largest forest and one of the nation’s most expansive high elevation plateaus. The varied altitudes allow it to boast forests of all kinds of different trees, as well as numerous wilderness areas.

Multicoloured cliffs, canyons, and gorges have all been carved over the centuries by the Colorado River in the area to add a more rugged aesthetic, while countless lakes do exactly the opposite.

Throw in its great number of mountains and diverse range of weather conditions and Dixie National Forest is a fabulous place to enjoy outdoor activities like hiking and camping on your journey.

The 2nd most visited national park in the United States, after Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Zion National Park averages 5 million visitors each year. It is also the 15th oldest and 28th smallest park in the system, having been founded in November 1919 and covering 147,242 acres.

Located on the boundaries of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert, it is named after its most iconic feature, Zion Canyon. It is then also home to many other almost equally famous locations, such as Weeping Rock and Angels Landing.

With the highlights surrounded by canyons, forests, mesas, multicoloured deserts, woodlands, rock towers, rivers, and viewpoints, all of which are alive with at least 300 different species of animals and birds, it is an ideal place to take a break from the drive and get back to nature.

The Red Cliffs National Conservation Area was created in 2009 to protect the region’s iconic red cliffs, habitats, and wildlife, which includes the desert tortoise.

Located on the Mojave Desert’s northeast edge, the preserve is split into upland and lowland sections. Boasting more than 130 miles (210 km) of non-motorised trails, it provides a great chance to get out of the car, stretch your legs, and take in the stunning Utah landscape.

The 7th most populous city in Utah and largest outside of the Wasatch Front region, St. George was originally settled in 1861 as a cotton mission. Founded by Mormon pioneers, the city is named after George A. Smith, one of the first leaders of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of The Latter Day Saints.

Best known for its iconic St. George Utah Temple, it is also a popular destination for tourists who enjoy outdoor recreation, as it is the closest large city to both Zion National Park and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Settled in 1880 on the Arizona – Nevada border, Mesquite is a small town that offers many of the attractions synonymous with Las Vegas, such as casinos, golf courses, museums, hotels, bars, and restaurants.

This makes it a great opportunity to stop and enjoy some of the fun in a slightly quieter environment before you reach your final destination.

Valley Of Fire State Park is an almost 46,000 acre nature preserve and public recreation area. It was created in 1935 to protect its iconic red Aztec Sandstone rock formation, which looks like it is on fire when the sun hits it just right.

With other formations like conglomerates, limestones, sandstones, and shales, as well as sand dunes and petroglyphs, the park is a geologist’s dream. Its iconic landscape has even been used in multiple movies through the years, including Star Trek Generations, Total Recall, and The Professionals.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area is a near 1.5 million acre park surrounding the largest reservoir in the United States, Lake Mead, and the smaller Lake Mojave. Containing such a huge expanse of water in an otherwise arid area, it is an incredibly popular destination for aquatic activities.

Boating, fishing, swimming, and various other water sports and activities can be enjoyed in the park. Shaded picnic areas, hiking trails, wilderness areas, a ghost town, 900 species of plants, 500 species of animals, and thousands of historic sites and buildings then provide other ways to relax or exercise.

This all makes it a fabulous way to enjoy a location that parts of 3 of the 4 desert ecosystems found in the United States.

Hoover Dam was constructed over a period of 5 years from 1931 to 1936 and lies to the west of Las Vegas, on the Arizona – Nevada state line, in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River. It stands 726 feet (221 metres) tall and 1,244 feet (379 metres) wide.

It ranks among the largest concrete gravity-arch dams on Earth and is responsible for creating and holding Lake Mead. The heart of a vital hydroelectric plant, Hoover Dam creates between 19 and 29% of the electricity in Arizona, Nevada, and south California.

Its incredible architecture, history, and importance have made it one of the most popular tourist attractions in the nation. Offering guided tours and stunning views, while boasting historical plaques and memorials, it has plenty to offer for people of all interests.

A road trip from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas is an incredible adventure that takes you between two of the largest and most unique cities in the western United States. This guide will hopefully have given you all you need to plan a perfect travel itinerary so you can make the trip yourself.

That means all you have left to do now is start to get everything booked. That way you can look forward to enjoying a dream vacation and seeing everything with your own eyes as soon as possible.