Los Angeles to Salt Lake City distance
Los Angeles and Salt Lake City are 579 miles (933 km) apart in a straight line and 688 miles (1,108 km) apart by road: about 12 hr of driving without stops, mostly on I-15 and I-10. Below you’ll find the route map, both halfway points, the bearing, the approximate flight time, the time difference and where every figure comes from.
By the All Map Tools Team
- By road
- 688 mi (1,108 km)
- Driving time
- 12 hr
- Straight line
- 579 mi (933 km)
- Driving route
- Straight line
- Straight-line midpoint
- Halfway by road
Lambert azimuthal equal-area projection centered on the midpoint. Route: FOSSGIS OSRM with data © OpenStreetMap contributors, calculated on November 1, 2026; simplified line.
The figures
| Figure | Value |
|---|---|
| Straight line | 579 mi (933 km) geodesic on the WGS84 ellipsoid |
| By road | 688 mi (1,108 km) fastest driving route (OSRM) |
| Driving time | 12 hr no stops, no traffic |
| Road detour | +19% 1.19 times the straight line |
| Average speed | 57 mph (92 km/h) along the route, without stops |
| Bearing | 35° (northeast) leaving Los Angeles toward Salt Lake City |
| Midpoint | 37.4501° N, 115.2093° W near Hiko (Nevada) |
| Halfway by road | Near Littlefield (Arizona) 344 mi from each city by road |
| Time difference | 1 hour ahead Salt Lake City compared with Los Angeles |
| Approximate flight | 1 hr 40 min estimate: 30 min + the straight line at 800 km/h |
| Elevation | Los Angeles: 284 ft (87 m) · Salt Lake City: 4,264 ft (1,300 m) USGS 3DEP |
| Population | Los Angeles: 3,869,089 · Salt Lake City: 218,428 Census Bureau estimate for 2025 |
Los Angeles to Salt Lake City by road
The fastest driving route is 688 miles (1,108 km) long and takes about 12 hr without stops or traffic. It runs mostly on I-15 (645 mi) and I-10 (30.4 mi).
It goes through 4 states: California (226 mi), Nevada (124 mi), Arizona (29.4 mi), and Utah (309 mi). That’s an average of 57 mph (92 km/h). AAA recommends a break every two hours or 100 miles: with 5 stops of 20 minutes, the trip takes about 13 hr 40 min. At about 8 hours behind the wheel a day, it’s a 2-day drive. The time is OSRM’s estimate with OpenStreetMap data: no traffic and speeds somewhat below the limits, so real trips can differ.
Straight-line distance and bearing
In a straight line, the shortest distance over the Earth’s surface, Los Angeles and Salt Lake City are 579 miles (933 km) apart. That’s the geodesic on the WGS84 ellipsoid, the distance “as the crow flies”.
The road is 19% longer: for every 100 miles in a straight line you drive 119. That’s a normal detour between two cities. Of the 110 US driving pairs in this series, it ranks 23rd for detour (the average is 16%).
From Los Angeles, Salt Lake City lies to the northeast (bearing 35°), and from Salt Lake City, Los Angeles lies to the southwest. The straight line reaches Salt Lake City on a bearing of 39°: on a sphere the bearing keeps changing along the way, which is why the shortest route looks slightly curved on a flat map.
Halfway between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City
Halfway along the straight line, 290 miles (466 km) from each city, is the point 37.4501° N, 115.2093° W. It falls near Hiko (Nevada, pop. 23), 13.5 mi away.
By road, the halfway point is 344 miles (554 km) from each city, near Littlefield (Arizona, pop. 70), 12.5 mi away. The two midpoints are 75.0 mi apart: if you want to meet halfway, the one on the road is the useful one.
Time difference and flight
Salt Lake City is 1 hour ahead of Los Angeles all year (Mountain Time versus Pacific Time): when it’s 12:00 in Los Angeles, it’s 13:00 in Salt Lake City.
A direct flight would take about 1 hr 40 min. That’s an estimate: 30 minutes for takeoff, climb, descent and landing, plus the 933 km straight line at 800 km/h (about 497 mph), a typical airliner cruising speed. Real schedules depend on wind, routing and airports, and not every pair has a direct flight.
The two cities
Los Angeles sits at 284 ft (87 m) and Salt Lake City at 4,264 ft (1,300 m), 3,980 ft (1,213 m) higher.
Los Angeles has 3.9 million people and Salt Lake City 218,428 people (Census Bureau estimate for 2025).
Frequently asked questions
How many miles is it from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City?
579 miles (933 km) in a straight line and 688 miles (1,108 km) by road on the fastest route (mostly on I-15 and I-10).
How long is the drive from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City?
About 12 hr without stops or traffic, according to OSRM with OpenStreetMap data; with 5 stops of 20 minutes, about 13 hr 40 min.
Where is the halfway point between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City?
In a straight line, near Hiko (Nevada). By road, 344 mi from each city, near Littlefield (Arizona).
How long is the flight from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City?
About 1 hr 40 min, estimated from the straight-line distance (933 km): 30 minutes for takeoff and landing plus the trip at 800 km/h. Real flight times vary with wind and routing.
What’s the time difference between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City?
Salt Lake City is 1 hour ahead of Los Angeles all year: when it’s 12:00 in Los Angeles, it’s 13:00 in Salt Lake City.
Measure it yourself on the map
The same two cities, already set up in the tools: move the points, get the route by bike or on foot and download the map.
- Distance between two points Measure the distance between any two places or points on the map, in miles or kilometers.
- Straight line vs driving distance Compare the as-the-crow-flies distance with the real driving distance and see how much the road adds.
- Halfway point Find the exact halfway point between two places and see it on the map, ready to share.
- Time difference calculator Compare the time in two or more places and find a good hour to call or meet across time zones.
Similar pairs
The ones in this series whose cities are closest to these two, in case another one suits you better.
- Las Vegas to Salt Lake City 362 mi straight line · 420 mi by road · 7 hr 5 min Las Vegas, 229 mi from Los Angeles
- Los Angeles to Las Vegas 229 mi straight line · 270 mi by road · 4 hr 55 min Las Vegas, 362 mi from Salt Lake City
- Los Angeles to Denver 831 mi straight line · 1,017 mi by road · 17 hr 50 min Denver, 372 mi from Salt Lake City
More distances from Los Angeles
All distances- Los Angeles to Dallas 1,240 mi straight line · 1,438 mi by road · 24 hr 45 min
- Los Angeles to Miami 2,339 mi straight line · 2,733 mi by road · 47 hr 55 min
- Los Angeles to Honolulu 2,563 mi straight line · 5 hr 40 min flight
- Los Angeles to Mexico City 1,547 mi straight line · 1,908 mi by road · 35 hr 45 min
- Los Angeles to London 5,454 mi straight line · 11 hr 30 min flight
- Los Angeles to Tokyo 5,490 mi straight line · 11 hr 35 min flight
More distances from Salt Lake City
Sources
- Driving route: FOSSGIS OSRM, car profile (calculated on November 1, 2026) · FOSSGIS e.V.
- Roads, streets and places · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
- Straight line, bearings and midpoint (geodesics on the WGS84 ellipsoid) · GeographicLib (C. F. F. Karney)
- US city centers (GNIS) and their elevation (3DEP) · USGS (public domain)
- Population estimates, Vintage 2025 · US Census Bureau (public domain)
- Places near the midpoints: All Map Tools gazetteer (GeoNames, INE, IGN and Census) · All Map Tools
- Time zones (timezone-boundary-builder outlines and the IANA database) · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
- Map: provinces (IGN), states (US Census Bureau) and countries (Natural Earth) · IGN, Census and Natural Earth
- Methodology