How to Get Around Salt Lake City on the Cheap

Salt Lake International Airport is within 10 minutes of downtown Salt Lake and within an hour's drive of the area's major ski resorts. With a little planning, you can get almost anywhere in town - or in the mountains - without spending an arm and a leg.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Transit pass

1. Walk. The downtown historical area is almost completely accessible by walking. Leave your car at your downtown hotel, or find a parking spot downtown and sightsee, shop or explore on foot.

2. Consider travel using the options provided by the Utah Transit Authority (UTA). Using UTA buses and the TRAX (Transit Express) light rail system, you can go anywhere downtown with an All Day Pass that costs less than $3.00.

3. Take public transportation from the airport to downtown rather than private shuttles or limos. You can save a substantial amount of money.

4. Buy a UTA ski pass in season if you are going from Salt Lake to Little Cottonwood Canyon, Alta, Brighton or Sundance. The pass costs less than $4.00 and provides you with round-trip transportation from Salt Lake to these destinations.

5. Take advantage of free tours offered at Temple Square. Walking tours leave the flagpole area every few minutes. Nearby historical sites also offer free walking tours.

6. See the Utah Transit Authority web site (utabus.com) for more information on public transportation and where to obtain tickets and passes in the Salt Lake City area.

Tips & Warnings

• To ride TRAX, you need a transit pass, a transit ticket or a valid transfer before boarding. To ride the bus, you need a pass or transfer, or you can put your fare into a fare box aboard the bus.
• TRAX has a free-fare zone that includes the area between the Courthouse TRAX station to the Delta Center Station downtown.
• Until late 2001, plan on detours, slowdowns and dead stops on I-15 in the greater Salt Lake area. A huge construction project, set to be completed before the 2002 Olympics, has contributed to major traffic headaches.
• If you hop aboard TRAX without a pass, you are in danger of being issued a fare evasion ticket and a fine.