[Tennesseestorm]

Hello... a friend of mine is flying from northeast Tennessee to Salt Lake City Utah and driving to Las Vegas, then back to SLC. She was worried about running out of gas between those areas since it is a desert, but I told her she should be fine. I am guessing its not like it was back in the 1950s.

She was also concerned about food.

Does anyone know of a site that shows gas/food locations between these locations? I am assuming there is at least gas every 150-200 miles?

Thanks for any info I can relay to her.

[MR77]

No, there is plenty of gas and food in between. You will go through St. George, Provo, etc... No need to worry. Its not a lonely drive. I took the back roads once from Palm Springs to Las Vegas by taking the journey through Joshua Tree and Twenty Nine Palms. My car started acting up. That was the only time I got a little freaked out. Nothing around. I've made the trip between SLC and Las Vegas and fear of that sort of thing never entered my mind.

[Tennesseestorm]

Thanks! I will relay it to her. She is paranoid anyway, so this will be a huge relief to her. She is going on a business trip with her husband and for some reason they are flying them from our airport, to Charlotte NC to Atlanta GA, then to Salt Lake City UT, then drive to Las Vegas NV. I have no idea why they cannot fly out of Charlotte or Atlanta to SLC since both are international airports. I guess its something to do with the air carriers.

Thanks again!

[Buzz123]

It's an easy drive, but there are some long stretches between fill ups. A rent a car should be full of gas when she gets it. Unless she'll be running around SLC before heading to Vegas she should have enough gas to get to St. George if it's full when she leaves SLC. But tell her to be sure to fill up in Cedar City or St. George, or she probably won't make it. She won't find food and gas every couple of miles. It's more like every 50 miles, and then it's slim pickings most of the time. There is a convenient Cracker Barrel just on the southern outskirts of SLC if she's into that, and there's one in St. George as well as other good restaurants. A lot of travelers like Cracker Barrel but we don't have a lot of them in the west. I think it's before Provo. I remember eating in Provo at a Shoney's once but I had to drive around town looking for it. Then there won't be much except for a nice little Mexican restaurant in Beaver before Cedar City, followed by St. George. Then Mesquite is the last chance before Las Vegas. I'd suggest printing a MapQuest route so she'll know how far it is. Most of those places on the map are just places...nothing much there but farms.

Driving Directions from Salt Lake City, UT to Las Vegas, NV

And, no it's not like it was in the '50s. We have these things called freeways now, and the speed limit is 75...but it's still desert.

[desertsun41]

The drive is along I-15. There are many exits, each having food and gas. Much of the ride is nice scenery. Utah has a tad higher gas prices. Actually they are the same price as Nevada but they offer a lower octane for that price. So you are getting less for your money.

Keep in mind that Sunday travel through Utah, especially St. George you will have a real hard time finding much open. Sundays is a day of rest for the LDS bunch. Same in Cedar City but not as bad.

[tortoise]

Originally Posted by desertsun41

Utah has a tad higher gas prices. Actually they are the same price as Nevada but they offer a lower octane for that price.

Regional Variations
Utah Gas Prices
Nevada Gas Prices

[scirocco22]

Assure her she has nothing to worry about. I-15 is an interstate roadway heavily traveled by truckers. It's a divided road with two lanes in each direction for the entire route.

I've used this route driving in the middle of the night hundreds of times and can assure you it's not as desolate as you might think. Sure, not like the east coast or Tennessee but by west coast standards, there are many more isolated and desolate highways than I-15.

To give you an example, dinky little towns like Beaver, Fillmore, Scipio, and Nephi, just to name a few, have more gas stations and travel centers than the towns themselves can support because of the huge amount of traffic on that interstate.

For about 70 miles south of SLC, or the southern portion of the Wastach Front, is just a chain of suburban cities until you get to about Santaquin, so services in this area will be more than plentiful.

Utah is also known for its multitude of fast food restaurants so she'll see Wendys, McDonald, etc. in seemingly odd locations in what might seem the middle of nowhere.

[Dimm]

The AAA website has a trip planner that will show you all gas and food along the route.

[Tennesseestorm]

Thanks. Well, she is gone now. I had emailed her the first reply and told her everything should be OK. She said they would be in a large luxury car, so hopefully it will not use too much gas. I think she said it also had ONSTAR, so I guess they could call for help. She is just the type that worries ya know?

Thanks again.

[tm042567]

I am a creature of habit and when I go from SLC to Vegas, I stop in St. George for lunch/dinner and fill up with gas. Usually I have 1/2 tank still...but I fill up and then drive straight into Vegas. If your friends don't stop for gas in St. George, they better in Mesquite cause Glendale is more expensive, about 40 miles past Mesquite, NV....and after Glendale there is nothing until they reach Vegas.