San Francisco to Las Vegas is about 508 miles (818 km) by road and 417 miles in a straight line. The drive takes around 8 hr 37 min and a nonstop flight is about 1 hr 16 min. The distance is the same in reverse, from Las Vegas to San Francisco.
What This Distance Means for Your Trip
This is comfortably flying territory. A nonstop flight is roughly 1 hr 16 min in the air, and even allowing for airport time the realistic door-to-door journey is around 4 hr 16 min — well under the 8 hr 37 min the 508-mile drive takes. Most travelers fly this route; the drive is really a multi-day road trip for when the journey itself is the appeal.
Want the full side-by-side on time, cost and hassle? See our drive-or-fly breakdown for San Francisco to Las Vegas.
How we calculate these figures
Straight-line distance uses the great-circle (haversine) formula between each city's centre coordinates. Road distance applies a circuity factor of roughly 1.2–1.4× to reflect that roads are not straight. Driving time assumes typical blended speeds for a trip of this length, and flight time is the great-circle distance at about 875 km/h cruise plus around 30 minutes for taxi, climb, descent and approach. The door-to-door air estimate adds about three hours for airport access, check-in, security and boarding. Real figures vary with your exact route, traffic, weather, aircraft and connections.
San Francisco to Las Vegas is a substantial Southwest road trip — about 570 miles, typically taking 8–9 hours. The scenic route via US-395 through the Eastern Sierra passes Mono Lake, Bishop, and Death Valley; the faster route runs I-5 south through the Central Valley and then US-58 or I-15 east.
The US-395 Eastern Sierra route is spectacular if you have the extra time, running along the base of the tallest peaks in the contiguous US. The fast I-5/I-15 route sacrifices scenery for efficiency.
Stops Along the Way
An alien-looking ancient lake with unique tufa towers — a stunning photo stop on the US-395 route.
Gateway to some of the Eastern Sierra's best hiking and the White Mountains — a good lunch stop with excellent Eastern Sierra views.
A detour on the scenic route, taking in the lowest point in North America and some of the most dramatic desert landscapes on Earth.
Meeting someone from Las Vegas? Find the exact halfway point between San Francisco and Las Vegas so neither of you drives the whole way — or plan evenly-spaced rest and fuel stops along the route.
Tips for This Trip
The US-395 route adds 2+ hours but is spectacular
If you have the day, the Eastern Sierra route through Mono Lake and the Owens Valley is one of California's great drives.
Flying saves 7+ hours
Cheap flights make the 1.5-hour flight from SFO to LAS far more practical for most trips — but you'd miss some incredible scenery.
Death Valley in summer is dangerous
If you detour through Death Valley between June and September, travel early morning with ample water, a full tank, and a well-maintained vehicle.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Las Vegas is about 415 miles (668 km) from San Francisco in a straight line, and approximately 570 miles (917 km) by road — 8.5 hours via the Central Valley or 10+ hours via the scenic US-395 Eastern Sierra route.