Salt Lake City, Utah — Travel Tips
Getting There By Air
SaltLakeCityInternationalAirport(SLC)
Tel: (801) 575 2400.
Website: www.slcairport.com
Salt Lake City International Airport is located just 6km (4 miles) west of the city center. The airport served 22 million passengers in 2007.
Approximate flight times to Salt Lake City: From London is 11 hours; from New York is 4 hours 30 minutes; from Los Angeles is 2 hours; from Toronto is 5 hours and from Sydney is 16 hours 30 minutes.
Airport facilities: These include foreign exchange, banks and ATMs, tourist information counter, restaurants and snack bars, gift shops, coin-operated lockers, facilities for infant and small child care. Car hire companies Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz and National are located on the lowest level of the parking terrace (see Getting Around).
Business facilities: The Wayport Laptop Lane/Regus Business Center (tel: (801) 519 5060; website: www.regus.com) is located in terminal two. Services and facilities include telephones, desktop PCs, high-speed Internet access, printing, copying and faxing and package shipping. In addition to the business facilities available at Laptop Lane, there is language translation assistance at the airport information desks and faxes can be sent at Zions Bank in terminal two. There are stamp machines and mailboxes in each terminal.
Transport to the city: Downtown Salt Lake is only a 15- or 20-minute drive from the airport. A one-way taxi fare is approximately US$15. Many hotels offer complimentary airport shuttle service. Buses, limousines and shuttle companies provide transportation into the city as well as throughout the valley and to area ski resorts. For more information, call the Ground Transportation Desk on (801) 575 2477.
The Express Shuttle (tel: 1 800 397 0773; website: www.expressshuttle.com) is a convenient door-to-door airport shuttle, which operates on request and meets all flights. Tickets should be reserved at least 24 hours in advance, if possible (booking is open 24 hours daily). There are counters in the baggage claim area at both terminals, marked Ground Transportation Desk.
One of several companies providing shuttle service to ski resorts in the area, as well as to the Salt Lake Valley is All Resort Express (tel: (435) 649 3999 or 1 800 457 9457; website: www.allresort.com), which also operates a request service, meeting all flights.
Getting There By Road
Driving in Salt Lake City is on the right. The legal driving age in Utah is 16 years. Speed limits are generally 55-65mph (88-104kph) on highways and 30mph (48kph) in towns but can vary and the signs should be checked. International Driving Permits are not generally necessary. A full driving license from another country is adequate, and basic insurance is mandatory. The American Automobile Association (tel: 1 800 541 9902; www.aaa.com) provides further information.
Emergency breakdown services
AAA tel. 1 800 222 4357 or AAA HELP.
Routes to the city
Not without good reason is Salt Lake City known as ‘the crossroads of the west’, lying as it does at the intersection between two of America’s major highways. These are: Interstate 15 (I-15), which runs south through Las Vegas to the outskirts of Los Angeles and north through Idaho and Montana to the Canadian border, and Interstate 80 (I-80), which runs east-west between San Francisco and New York. Locally the I-80 connects downtown Salt Lake City with the airport, and the I-215 takes a loop through the suburbs around the western flank of the city. Inside the city, traffic flows freely thanks to a simple grid layout. Road names are numbered with a north, south, east, or west designation, with the grid originating at the southeast corner of Temple Square.
Driving times to the city
From Las Vegas - 6 hours; Denver - 7 hours 30 minutes; San Francisco - 10 hours 30 minutes; Los Angeles - 10 hours; San Diego - 11 hours; Ogden - 40 minutes; Provo - 50 minutes.
Coach services
The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) operates an extensive bus system in and around Salt Lake City extending out to the entire Wasatch Front. Bus routes are also connected to the stations along the TRAX light rail system, and during the winter, there is also a service from the city to four local ski resorts in the Wasatch Mountains. Greyhound Buses (www.greyhound.com) can also be taken from the city’s Intermodal Transport Hub. There are several buses per day running east to Denver, west to San Francisco, north to Portland and Seattle, Washington, and south to Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
Getting There By Rail
Salt Lake City benefits from good rail services.
Rail Services
Amtrak (tel: 1 800 872 7245; www.amtrak.com) offers rail services to Salt Lake City, arriving at Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub (also known as Central Station).
Rail Operators
Amtrak provide one service daily in each direction on the California Zephyr Line. This 3,924km (2,438 miles) long route running from Chicago, Illinois in the east to Emeryville, California in the west, while passing through the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains, is one of the most scenic in the US. The Utah Transit Authority Front-Runner (tel: 1 801 743 3882; www.rideuta.com) commuter rail line also runs from Salt Lake City on a 61km (38 miles) route to Pleasantville, north of Ogden, every half-hour on weekdays and every hour on Saturdays. There is also a connecting service to the airport.
Connections
From Reno - 13 hours; Denver - 15 hours; Chicago - 35 hours 20 minutes.
Getting Around in Salt Lake City, Utah
Public Transport
A good bus network and Salt Lake City's light rail service, TRAX, has helped to improve links between the city and the suburbs. There are also services to nearby cities such as Ogden and Provo, and during the winter a special ski bus operates to Little Cottonwood Canyon, Alta, Brighton and Sundance ski resorts. Buses and the TRAX rail system operate a single, standard fare across the main valley area, while a large portion of central downtown Salt Lake City (including Temple Square) is a fare-free zone. Tickets purchased here are valid for two hours from the time of purchase and can be used on both buses and light rail. All Day Passes covering both these systems are also available.
Taxis
Several taxi companies in Salt Lake City offer a 24 hour service, including City Cab (tel: (801) 363 5550), Yellow Cab Company (tel: (801) 521 2100) and Ute Cab Co (tel: (801) 359 7788). Cabs can be hailed in the street and there are taxi stands around the city.
Driving in the City
With wide streets laid out in the standard American grid system, navigating around Salt Lake City poses few problems. A good freeway system provides quick access to the canyons and suburban areas and there are many scenic routes into the surrounding mountains. Parking is plentiful and there are free Park & Ride lots located near all the light rail stations.
Car Hire
All main service providers are here, including Avis (tel: (801) 575 2847; www.avis.com), and Hertz (tel: (801) 575 2683; www.hertz.com). The minimum age to hire a car is 25 years. A full driving license from a person's home country is usually sufficient. Drivers are always advised to enquire exactly what will be covered in the accompanying insurance and whether the rate includes unlimited mileage.
Bicycle Hire
Cycling is popular in Salt Lake City and the surrounding region, with mountain biking trails available. Utah Ski and Golf (tel: (801) 355 9088; www.utahskigolf.com) offers bicycle hire from different locations in the city.
