AtomicGT
GT Owner
For those of you entering SLC from the South on I-15. Here is some advice. If you are coming from So California, the time from West LA to SLC is about 10 hours. I am sure you can do it faster, but that depends on CHiP and Utah Highway Patrol. Generally 4-5 hrs from West LA to Vegas. From Vegas to SLC is 6-7 hrs. Generally in Nevada, speed limts are less enforced than in Utah. From Vegas to St. George is fairly wide open, Virgin River Canyon is a great place, for the most part it is in Arizona, and the only access is either through Nevada on the south side and Utah on the north side. Great twisty curves, if it is not crowded a great driving run. Before you enter Utah there is frequently a Utah Highway Patrol unit on the center strip of the freeway lasering people coming in from Arizona. If you are doing this run in two days, Vegas obviously has accomodations and great dining. Virgin River Casino and the Casa Blanco Casino in Mesquite, offer great rates and cuts down 1.5 hrs on your next day run to SLC. St. George also has lots of accommodations.
In St. George, you are still in desert but it tends to start elevating once out of St. George. Uphill to Cedar City. No restautants or petrol from St. George to Cedar City. Cedar City is full of gas stations and fast food places. Once out of Cedar City, you enter the Great Basin. This is an incredible area that by definition means that any rainfall or snow that enters the great basin can only leave by evaporation as there are no rivers taking water out of the basin to the ocean. This Great Basin Park covers western Utah and a large portion of Nevada. Once you get north of Cedar City, the landscape changes to grasslands, and long stretches of nothingness, except small towns with many churches with white spiral towers, very unique, be sure to take the time to notice this. Towns are interspersed with petrol stations. You also enter Capitol Reef National Park. However, this is a famous place for Utah Highway Patrol (who usually don't have a sense of humor), they have white/silver stripped Shelby Mustangs or white Hemi Challengers and are all over the place. In central Utah there are a lot of highway over passes going across I-15, which is a favorite place for these guys to set up their speed traps. Radar detectors are a must. The main problem that arises coming from the south into the Salt Lake Valley is this. Once you are on I-15 40-50 miles south of Provo, the traffic in the afternoons rivals any traffic in Los Angeles. 4-5 lanes of stop and go and this lasts for 60-70 miles. Entering the Provo area in the afternoon, after 3 PM is a major traffic headache. Any efforts made to get you into the SLC Valley before that time would be beneficial to your driving experience. The traffic is so horrendous, and the fact that so many people have moved into this area without freeway planning to solve this bottleneck, make for a long day. Once into the SLC Valley, stay on I-15 into SLC, take the 6th South Exit, drive 4 blocks to Main Street and you are at the hotel.
The big issue is being south of Provo after 3 PM heading north. Stop and go, and frequently it is stopped.
Hope this is helpful, and that you have a great time in Utah. I am currently in Deer Vally - Park City. I-80 east of SLC on the way to Park City is undergoing major contruction at the top of Parleys Summit, in fact will be closed this Saturday night to Sunday afternoon while they move a new bridge section in place. I will check the Utah DOT and see if there are any scheduled closures during the Rally, probably not as they close it on the weekends.
A suggestion for your visit to Park City. I-80 from hotel to Park City is 25 miles, on major interstate freeway. You will get to Park City quite fast. Great town but parking on Main Street can be difficult for GTs. There are some parking lots on the north side of Main Street. A drive to the top of Deer Valley would be spectacular. This is the number 1 ski resort in North America, and the hotels and accommodations and the vistas are unique. If you do this run, go to the top of Empire Canyon, you can access Deer Valley easy as it is 1 mile east of Park City. There is a Montage Resort at 8000 feet and would have a few restaurants open and at last a bar! One can also take I-80 east to Evanston, Wyoming (60 miles from Park City) through Echo Canyon. Amazing vistas and you can see the start of the Uinta Mountains. Or take I-80 east of Park City to Coalville, then Hwy 84 to Ogden and then I-15 back to Hotel. Very scenic on Hwy 84, about 92 miles from Park City on this route back to the hotel. Or you can just spend the day in Park City.
Places to dine in Park City
Bandits BBQ
Bistro 412, French, excellent mussles in a curry sauce
Ciscero's Italian
501 Main Street - Outside Dining
Flannigans Irish Pub for a Guinness
No Name Saloon for a true Buffalo Burger
Here is a link to the I-80 Corridor Rennovation Projects.
http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/f?p=100:pg:0:::1:T,V:3298,
In St. George, you are still in desert but it tends to start elevating once out of St. George. Uphill to Cedar City. No restautants or petrol from St. George to Cedar City. Cedar City is full of gas stations and fast food places. Once out of Cedar City, you enter the Great Basin. This is an incredible area that by definition means that any rainfall or snow that enters the great basin can only leave by evaporation as there are no rivers taking water out of the basin to the ocean. This Great Basin Park covers western Utah and a large portion of Nevada. Once you get north of Cedar City, the landscape changes to grasslands, and long stretches of nothingness, except small towns with many churches with white spiral towers, very unique, be sure to take the time to notice this. Towns are interspersed with petrol stations. You also enter Capitol Reef National Park. However, this is a famous place for Utah Highway Patrol (who usually don't have a sense of humor), they have white/silver stripped Shelby Mustangs or white Hemi Challengers and are all over the place. In central Utah there are a lot of highway over passes going across I-15, which is a favorite place for these guys to set up their speed traps. Radar detectors are a must. The main problem that arises coming from the south into the Salt Lake Valley is this. Once you are on I-15 40-50 miles south of Provo, the traffic in the afternoons rivals any traffic in Los Angeles. 4-5 lanes of stop and go and this lasts for 60-70 miles. Entering the Provo area in the afternoon, after 3 PM is a major traffic headache. Any efforts made to get you into the SLC Valley before that time would be beneficial to your driving experience. The traffic is so horrendous, and the fact that so many people have moved into this area without freeway planning to solve this bottleneck, make for a long day. Once into the SLC Valley, stay on I-15 into SLC, take the 6th South Exit, drive 4 blocks to Main Street and you are at the hotel.
The big issue is being south of Provo after 3 PM heading north. Stop and go, and frequently it is stopped.
Hope this is helpful, and that you have a great time in Utah. I am currently in Deer Vally - Park City. I-80 east of SLC on the way to Park City is undergoing major contruction at the top of Parleys Summit, in fact will be closed this Saturday night to Sunday afternoon while they move a new bridge section in place. I will check the Utah DOT and see if there are any scheduled closures during the Rally, probably not as they close it on the weekends.
A suggestion for your visit to Park City. I-80 from hotel to Park City is 25 miles, on major interstate freeway. You will get to Park City quite fast. Great town but parking on Main Street can be difficult for GTs. There are some parking lots on the north side of Main Street. A drive to the top of Deer Valley would be spectacular. This is the number 1 ski resort in North America, and the hotels and accommodations and the vistas are unique. If you do this run, go to the top of Empire Canyon, you can access Deer Valley easy as it is 1 mile east of Park City. There is a Montage Resort at 8000 feet and would have a few restaurants open and at last a bar! One can also take I-80 east to Evanston, Wyoming (60 miles from Park City) through Echo Canyon. Amazing vistas and you can see the start of the Uinta Mountains. Or take I-80 east of Park City to Coalville, then Hwy 84 to Ogden and then I-15 back to Hotel. Very scenic on Hwy 84, about 92 miles from Park City on this route back to the hotel. Or you can just spend the day in Park City.
Places to dine in Park City
Bandits BBQ
Bistro 412, French, excellent mussles in a curry sauce
Ciscero's Italian
501 Main Street - Outside Dining
Flannigans Irish Pub for a Guinness
No Name Saloon for a true Buffalo Burger
Here is a link to the I-80 Corridor Rennovation Projects.
http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/f?p=100:pg:0:::1:T,V:3298,
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