1290 miles, about 20 hr 29 min of driving. Here are the real towns worth stopping in between Salt Lake City, UT and Austin, TX, and why each one earned it.
Named for your own departure time and driving style when you plan the trip — your first full plan is free.
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| Day | Miles | Driving | Night in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 542 | 8 hr 54 min | Albuquerque, NM |
| 2 | 552 | 8 hr 22 min | Coleman, TX |
| 3 | 196 | 3 hr 14 min | — |
Every stop is a real town on your actual route — not a chain billboard. We score towns on what a driver needs at that point in the drive: fuel and food for a stretch break, parks and grass when a pet is along, hotels and restaurants when it's an overnight. Detour distance counts against a town, so nothing here costs you a long side trip.
This page is planned for a 9-hour driving day leaving at 8:00 AM. Change any of that — your hours, your MPG, pets, small children, an EV's charging range — and the stops change with it. Plan Salt Lake City to Austin your way →
How far is Salt Lake City, UT to Austin, TX?
About 1290 miles, roughly 20 hr 29 min of driving before stops.
Can you drive Salt Lake City to Austin in one day?
Not comfortably. At a 9-hour driving day it splits into 3 days, with a night in Albuquerque, NM.
Where is a good place to stop between Salt Lake City and Austin?
Price, UT is the first one on this route.