Utah warns of major Memorial Day delays on routes to outdoor destinations

Utah’s worst Memorial Day bottleneck is not a vague freeway slowdown. It is US-6 in Spanish Fork Canyon, where UDOT warned that construction could add as much as 90 minutes during peak travel and keep the two-mile Thistle Junction work zone reduced to one lane in each direction.

That matters for anyone heading into the state’s big outdoor corridors. The same highway feeds trips toward Soldier Summit, Moab and the trailheads, canyons and river access points that fill up fast when the holiday starts. UDOT said most state projects will pause for the weekend and open all lanes, but the lane restrictions in Spanish Fork Canyon will stay in place for safety while crews keep building a safer grade-separated interchange before winter.

The heaviest outbound pressure is expected Friday, May 22. UDOT is warning about delays on southbound I-15 from Spanish Fork to Nephi, eastbound US-6 from Spanish Fork to Soldier Summit, northbound US-89 from Logan to Bear Lake, eastbound US-40 from Heber to Duchesne, and southbound US-6 and US-191 from Spanish Fork to Moab. The return trip turns into a mirror image on Monday, May 25, with slowdowns on westbound US-6 from Soldier Summit to Spanish Fork, northbound I-15 from Nephi to Spanish Fork, southbound US-89 from Bear Lake to Logan, westbound US-40 from Duchesne to Heber, and northbound US-191 and US-6 from Moab to Spanish Fork.

Timing is everything on US-6. UDOT said the worst eastbound delay could hit around 7 p.m. Friday, while the biggest westbound backup is likely around 3 p.m. Monday. If your plan depends on making camp, a rafting put-in or a canyon trailhead before dark, the safe move is to leave well before those windows and build in a cushion that assumes Spanish Fork Canyon will crawl.

The broader holiday picture is already crowded. AAA projected 45 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home between Thursday, May 21 and Monday, May 25, a record Memorial Day forecast and a slight jump from last year’s 44.8 million. That surge is landing just as Utah’s recreation season opens wider. Zion National Park drew nearly 5 million visits in 2024 and more than 92,000 during Memorial Day weekend alone, while Mirror Lake Highway, the Alpine Loop and Guardsman Pass were projected to reopen by the holiday weekend, adding even more pressure to the state’s mountain and canyon routes. For this weekend, the difference between a clean getaway and a dead stop may come down to leaving early enough to beat US-6.