Getting around · Salt Lake City
Getting to and from SLC: taxi, rideshare, transit & the cell-phone lot
The quickest way to Salt Lake City airport is usually a taxi or a rideshare: a taxi runs about $20–$30 to Downtown Salt Lake City, and Uber & Lyft pick up in a marked pickup zone. Picking someone up instead? Wait free at the Park & Wait Lot. Below: every way to and from the airport, what it costs, whether to park or grab a ride, and how to fold the drive into your Leave-By Time so you reach security with room to get through the line. Check SLC TSA wait times today before you decide when to leave.
- Terminals
- 2
- Checkpoints
- 2
- PreCheck
- Yes
- CLEAR
- Yes
- Global Entry
- On site
- Wait data
- Predicted
Taxis from SLC — fare and where to find the stand
Typical taxi fare
~$20–$30
to Downtown Salt Lake City
Drive time
10–20 min
4 mi to Downtown Salt Lake City
A taxi is the simplest door-to-door option and needs no app. Expect about $20–$30 to Downtown Salt Lake City on the meter, before tolls and tip — more in heavy traffic.
Curbside on the Terminal ground level; Yellow Cab of Utah is the airport's only on-demand taxi (24/7) and shows the exact GPS zone fare before you ride. Yellow Cab of Utah uses GPS dispatch that displays the exact zone fare upfront; downtown is only about 4 miles away, so fares are modest (range is approximate-confirm in the app/with the driver).
The SLC cell-phone waiting lot
Picking someone up? Wait free at Park & Wait Lot. Free lot west of Terminal Drive, just southeast of the Terminal, with large electronic flight-info signs; an idle-free policy applies and drivers wait until their passenger is curbside. Wait there until your traveler texts that they're at the curb, then loop in once. Follow Terminal Drive and the signs for the free Park & Wait Lot (southeast of the terminal); a sign shows 'ready for pick up' once your flight has landed.
Leaving a car for the trip instead of getting dropped off? It's worth checking the lots: compare SLCparking by price & distance.
Where to catch Uber & Lyft at SLC
Uber/Lyft pick up curbside on the Terminal ground level in the B-Lane (the second/far curb), marked by TNC signs; order in-app after baggage claim. Rideshare loads from the ground-level B-Lane (the second curb out), not the first curb where private cars and hotel shuttles stop.
Dropping off? Drop-offs on the elevated Level 3 departures roadway (stay right on Terminal Drive); pickups use the far-left ground-level lane, which has a 13-foot height limit. SLC has 2 terminals (A, B), so confirm your airline's before your driver commits to a curb — find your terminal at SLC.
Driving to SLC — routes & drive time
SLC sits about 4 miles from Downtown Salt Lake City, a drive of roughly 10–20 minutes via Terminal Drive to I-80 east then I-15, or North Temple straight into downtown — closer to the high end at rush hour. That drive time is the first input into your Leave-By Time, so the calculator counts it backward from your flight along with today's security wait and the walk to your gate.
Getting to SLC by train or transit
By rail, your option is TRAX Green Line (UTA Route 704) — figure about 20 minutes to Downtown Salt Lake City. The TRAX Green Line (Route 704) boards on the ground level just east of the terminal (exit Door 1A and walk east) and reaches downtown Salt Lake City-Arena and Temple Square stations-in about 15-20 minutes for $2.50 one-way. Service runs roughly 4:35 a.m. to 12:15 a.m. (later start Sundays), not all night.
Fare: $2.50 one-way (UTA caps total fares at $5/day).
Hotel and city shuttles to SLC
Hotel shuttles load on the ground level between columns 1B and 5B; numerous shared-ride and canyon shuttles (Alta Shuttle/Canyon Express, Canyon Transportation) serve the ski resorts. If a shuttle is part of your plan, add its ride time to your Leave-By Time — it's easy to forget the 15–20 minutes between the curb and the terminal.
Park or ride to SLC?
Here's the math. Parking starts around $7/day, while a round-trip taxi or rideshare to Downtown Salt Lake City runs about $50. So a round trip by car comes out ahead once you're away more than about 7 days — for a quick trip, parking usually costs less; for a long one, getting a ride does.
Want the exact trade-off for your dates? compare SLCparking by price & distance — the closest lot isn't always the one that costs the least.
Accessibility and late-night rides at SLC
Multiple ADA wheelchair-accessible operators (Yellow Cab, Ute Cab, Handi Vans and others) plus UTA Paratransit; request WAV via Uber/Lyft; TRAX and the terminal are step-free.
Late or overnight arrival? The TRAX Green Line does not run all night (roughly 4:35 a.m. to about 12:15 a.m.); after hours use Yellow Cab (24/7), Uber/Lyft, or one of the airport's listed after-hours providers.
Returning a rental on the way out? Return rentals in the Gateway Center next to the parking garage (connected to the terminal by two skybridges); follow the overhead 'Rental Car Return' lane signs as you approach. (We cover where to return a car, not where to book one.)
Recently changed: UTA now uses fare-capping: pay-as-you-go riders are never charged more than $5 a day ($2.50 per trip), which effectively caps a round-trip airport-to-downtown TRAX fare. Pickup zones and curb rules change — we verified SLC's ground-transport details as of June 27, 2026. Always check the in-app pickup pin and posted signs when you land.
Flying out of a nearby airport instead?
If a fare or a schedule points you elsewhere, the closest airport we cover is PVU (Provo), about 42 miles from SLC in a straight line. The same math on this page — drive time, ride cost, security wait — decides whether the extra distance is worth it.
Other airports nearby
Straight-line distance from SLC — check current waits before switching airports.
Before you go SLC
SLC TSA wait times todaySee today's security wait by checkpoint, then time your ride to the airport.Getting-around FAQ SLC
How much is a taxi to or from SLC?
A metered taxi to Downtown Salt Lake City typically runs about $20–$30, before tolls and tip and more in heavy traffic. Curbside on the Terminal ground level; Yellow Cab of Utah is the airport's only on-demand taxi (24/7) and shows the exact GPS zone fare before you ride.
Where do you catch Uber and Lyft at SLC?
Uber/Lyft pick up curbside on the Terminal ground level in the B-Lane (the second/far curb), marked by TNC signs; order in-app after baggage claim. Rideshare loads from the ground-level B-Lane (the second curb out), not the first curb where private cars and hotel shuttles stop. Open the app after you land and follow its pickup pin, not the curb out front.
Where is the SLC cell-phone lot?
Park & Wait Lot — Free lot west of Terminal Drive, just southeast of the Terminal, with large electronic flight-info signs; an idle-free policy applies and drivers wait until their passenger is curbside. It's free, and you wait there until your traveler texts that they have their bags.
How far is SLC from Downtown Salt Lake City?
SLC is about 4 miles from Downtown Salt Lake City — roughly 10–20 minutes by car depending on traffic, via Terminal Drive to I-80 east then I-15, or North Temple straight into downtown.
Is there a train from SLC to Downtown Salt Lake City?
Yes. The TRAX Green Line (Route 704) boards on the ground level just east of the terminal (exit Door 1A and walk east) and reaches downtown Salt Lake City-Arena and Temple Square stations-in about 15-20 minutes for $2.50 one-way. Service runs roughly 4:35 a.m. to 12:15 a.m. (later start Sundays), not all night.