Planespotting Salt Lake City — KSLC
Salt Lake City sits six miles west of downtown on the flats by the Great Salt Lake, and few big US airports give you backgrounds like this: snow-capped Wasatch and Oquirrh peaks behind aircraft on final for much of the year. It is one of Delta's largest hubs and the main operating base of SkyWest, so expect a constant flow of E175s and CRJs between Delta narrowbodies and the odd A350 or A330-900. Three parallel runways do the work: 16R/34L and 16L/34R, both 12,000 ft, carry the airline traffic, while 17/35 takes mostly general aviation and overflow arrivals; a short 14/32 is for light singles. The daily rhythm is unusually predictable — south flow in the morning, switching to north flow somewhere between 11:00 and 14:00 — so plan a 16 spot for the morning and a 34 spot for the afternoon. The new terminal opened in phases from 2020. In late summer, wildfire smoke can ruin visibility; winter inversions can do the same.
- DAL1583 BCS1 9 275 ft
- SKW4152 E75L 8 250 ft
- N162PT C152 6 400 ft
- N47BN P28A 6 100 ft
- N139BF CRUZ 5 950 ft
- N6869T C172 5 700 ft
- N29GF AS50 5 375 ft
- N248TA P06T 5 325 ft
Conditions right now
Runways
- 16L/34L 3,666 × 46 m · 12,028 × 151 ft asphalt
- 16R/34R 3,666 × 46 m · 12,028 × 151 ft concrete
- 17/35 2,930 × 46 m · 9,613 × 151 ft asphalt
- 14/32 1,492 × 46 m · 4,895 × 151 ft asphalt
Ask the sky
What flew over this morning? Where was that loud one heading? Ask in plain words — the answer comes from real recorded traffic.
Airport profile
Typical traffic by hour
Relative intensity by local hour — a typical day, not live data.Peak: 08:00
Typical traffic mix
- Narrowbody72%
- Cargo8%
- Widebody6%
- Bizjet6%
- GA4%
- Turboprop2%
- Military2%
Spotter score
Our editorial rating (0–100).Best time of year
When the interesting traffic peaks.Where to spot
N 3700 W by the Air Cargo area (34R arrivals)
The classic afternoon spot for 34R: arrivals and line-ups from taxiways H, H1 and M, with SkyWest E175s and CRJs sometimes parked overnight on the remote stand right next to you. Try several positions along the road before settling. Rocks by the roadside help you clear the fence; otherwise shoot through the mesh.
- Getting there
- Follow airport signs to Air Cargo and park at the post office (up to half a mile's walk) or in the Air Ops lot, where you can stand on the concrete blocks. Do not try to walk here from the airport TRAX station; from TRAX use the 1940 W North Temple stop and the bike trail. No food or toilets within two miles; bring insect repellent — the Jordan River is next door.
- Best time
- North flow (34R), afternoon and evening year round. Police may stop to ask what you are doing; be friendly and follow their instructions.
- Lens
- 150–300 mm for arrivals (a CRJ700 needs about 300 mm), around 130 mm for a 767 on the taxiway.
510 N at 3700 W (34R and taxiway H)
A fence-line spot with some of the best backgrounds at SLC. Taxiway H is about 400 ft away and the runway about 1,000 ft, so everything going to 34R passes in front of you, from FedEx MD-11s on the taxiway to CRJs on short final.
- Getting there
- From the airport loop follow Air Cargo signs, park at the post office or in a lot nearby, head north on 3700 W and turn down 510 N to the fence. No facilities. You are shooting through chain-link, so keep shutter speeds high.
- Best time
- North flow, afternoon to sunset. Heat haze over the runway in summer until the last couple of hours of daylight; winter is usually clear.
- Lens
- 30–300 mm: around 80 mm for a 737 on the taxiway, 130–160 mm on the runway.
Terminal parking garage and departures curb
The only spot with food and toilets. From the departures level you look straight over the Delta ramp at the A gates, from E175s up to 757-300s, and can pick off some 16L and 16R departures. Also usable at night.
- Getting there
- Park in the terminal garage (paid by the hour) or get dropped at departures; TRAX Green Line runs to the airport. The upper level gives the clearest view; at ground level police are more likely to come and ask what you are doing.
- Best time
- Morning south flow for departures; the ramp works through the day. Expect heat shimmer towards the far end of the concourse.
- Lens
- 18 mm for aircraft pushing back from the nearest gates up to about 300 mm for the far end.
East bike trail entrance off North Temple (runway 35/17, bizjets)
A gate in the perimeter fence opens onto a bike trail that runs along the whole south end of the airport. Near the entrance you can photograph business jets parked on the ramp through the fence, runway 35 arrivals fly past, and in the morning south flow some 17 arrivals are within reach. Walk on towards the 3700 W area for 34R.
- Getting there
- Off I-215, south on 2400 W, then right onto W North Temple and park at the roadside; navigating to the UDOT Division of Aeronautics gets you to the right junction. By TRAX: 1940 W North Temple and walk west. The trail gate is open during posted daylight hours. Don't stop in the marked ILS critical areas.
- Best time
- All day, depending on where you stand on the trail: south flow in the morning for 17, north flow afternoons for 35.
- Lens
- 18–105 mm for the parked bizjets, 70–400 mm for everything else.
Hyatt Place trailhead (34L arrivals)
West end of the same perimeter trail, just east of the Hyatt Place hotel, under the approach to 34L. Aircraft are low and loud — the angles range from side-on to nearly head-on as you walk along the trail. The fence is too high for taxi shots, so this is purely an arrivals spot.
- Getting there
- From I-80 take the Wright Brothers Drive exit, then Wiley Post Way and Tommy Thompson Road to the Hyatt Place, where parking is free. The trail gate is just east of the hotel and keeps daylight hours. No toilets; heavy mosquitoes between the canal and the Jordan River in summer. Keep out of the ILS critical areas.
- Best time
- North flow (34L), so normally from late morning onwards. Usable all day except around noon, when the sun is over the runway.
- Lens
- 50–400 mm.
Wintersteiger lot (34L arrivals with mountain backdrop)
An alternative to the trail for 34L arrivals with more chance of putting the peaks south of the airport behind the aircraft. Widebodies fill the frame side-on; a small jet in front of Lone Peak needs a very long lens. Departures from 34L are blocked by the fence.
- Getting there
- From I-80 take Wright Brothers Drive, then Amelia Earhart Drive to the end; the lot entrance is just right of the cul-de-sac. Park on the east side of the building. Stay in the car between arrivals in winter — it gets cold.
- Best time
- North flow, afternoon and evening year round. Heat haze in summer until an hour or two before sunset; winter is usually crisp.
- Lens
- 300 mm for a 737 or A320; up to 500 mm for mountain backgrounds.
Respect private property, signage and the airport security perimeter. Spotterra predicts the active runway from live weather on the dashboard.
What you'll see
Delta and its SkyWest-operated Delta Connection flights dominate: 737s, A320-family and A220s mixed with a stream of E175s and CRJs. Delta's long-haul flying brings A330s and A350s, and KLM and Aeromexico add foreign colour on SkyTeam links. American, United, Southwest, Alaska, Frontier and JetBlue fly from the other concourse. Cargo is strong: FedEx MD-11s and feeder turboprops, UPS and DHL all work the cargo ramp. The Utah Air National Guard flies KC-135 tankers from its base on the east side of the field, and military visitors turn up at the GA ramp. Utah's ski season and summer national-park traffic keep the airport busy all year.
FAQ
What's that plane over Salt Lake City?
Spotterra's live map shows ADS-B traffic over the Salt Lake valley in real time — type, registration, airline and route — so you can identify that widebody turning over the lake in seconds.
Which runways are used in the morning and afternoon?
Typically south flow (16L/16R) in the morning, then north flow (34L/34R) from somewhere between 11:00 and 14:00. Plan the parking garage or a 16 spot early and the 34 spots after lunch.
Can I reach the spots without a car?
Mostly, if you like walking. TRAX to 1940 W North Temple puts you at the bike trail, which connects the south-side spots and the 3700 W area, but distances add up to several miles. A car makes switching with the flow change far easier.
Can I photograph the Air National Guard base?
Photograph tankers on the runway from the public spots only. Don't hang around the base entrance on the east side shooting through the fence — it attracts military security and gives you nothing usable.
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