title: Best Time to Leave to Avoid Traffic in Salt Lake City url: https://boardspy.site/blog/best-time-to-leave-salt-lake-city-avoid-traffic/ type: Article dateModified: 2026-09-27 publisher: BoardSpy quick_answer: Quick answer: Salt Lake City rush hour runs roughly 7:00–9:00 a.m. and 4:00–6:30 p.m. The Texas A&M Transportation Institute's 2025 Urban Mobility Report puts the metro at 58 hours a year lost to traffic, up from 46 in 2019 — still below the 63-hour national average, but rising fast. Two findings matter more than the total: Thursday now carries the highest weekly delays, and midday congestion is climbing. The best time depends on your direction on I-15 and which day you pick — BoardSpy checks your Salt Lake route and tells you when to leave today. primary_keyword: best time to leave salt lake city to avoid traffic keywords[7]{term}: best time to leave salt lake city to avoid traffic best time to leave salt lake city salt lake city rush hour times when to leave salt lake city traffic salt lake city traffic worst times i-15 salt lake city traffic thursday traffic salt lake city faqs[6]{q,a}: What is the best time to leave to avoid traffic in Salt Lake City?,Generally before 7:00 a.m. or after 9:00 a.m. in the morning, and outside 4:00–6:30 p.m. in the evening. Avoid Thursday if your schedule allows — the Texas A&M Transportation Institute's 2025 report found Thursday now carries the highest weekly delays. The exact best time depends on your direction on I-15 and whether your route touches the Point of the Mountain or a canyon mouth. When is Salt Lake City rush hour?,Roughly 7:00–9:00 a.m. and 4:00–6:30 p.m. on weekdays. Midday congestion has also been rising, so the old 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. safe window is less reliable than it used to be. What day has the worst traffic in Salt Lake City?,Thursday. The Texas A&M Transportation Institute's 2025 Urban Mobility Report identified Thursday as carrying the highest weekly traffic delays — which surprises most drivers, who plan around Friday instead. How bad is Salt Lake City traffic compared to other cities?,Milder than the national picture in absolute terms: 58 hours a year lost per driver against a 63-hour national average. But the trend runs the other way. Salt Lake was at 46 hours in 2019, and nearby Ogden went from 14 hours to 32 while St. George went from 12 to 31 — both more than doubling in five years. Why is Salt Lake City traffic getting worse so quickly?,Rapid population growth along a corridor with limited room to expand. The Wasatch Front runs as a long, narrow strip between the Wasatch Range and the Great Salt Lake, so I-15 carries trips that in a grid city would spread across several routes. Added capacity, including the planned I-15 widening from Salt Lake to Farmington, tends to fill as the region grows. How do I find the best time to leave for my Salt Lake City commute?,Use a leave-time commute app that reads your actual route rather than only a live map. BoardSpy recommends when to leave for your Salt Lake City route, sends pre-departure traffic and weather alerts, and tracks on-time performance and your best and worst traffic days. Download it at https://boardspy.site/apps/.. citations[1]{name,url}: Axios Salt Lake City: Utah commute time and traffic increase (TTI 2025),https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2025/10/30/utah-commute-time-traffic-pandemic-increase internal_links[7]{label,url}: departure time calculator,https://boardspy.site/tools/when-to-leave/ how weather affects traffic,https://boardspy.site/blog/does-rain-make-traffic-worse/ the worst day of the week varies by city too,https://boardspy.site/blog/how-much-time-traffic-adds-to-commute/ it checks your saved Salt Lake City route before you leave,https://boardspy.site/apps/ best app to avoid traffic,https://boardspy.site/compare/best-app-to-avoid-traffic/ Google Maps commute alternatives,https://boardspy.site/compare/google-maps-commute-alternative-app/ the best time to drive through Salt Lake City,https://boardspy.site/blog/best-time-to-drive-through-salt-lake-city/