SLC-based here. The OP is a bit dramatic, but yes it is currently a long hike due to the fact that the CURRENT tunnel is a TEMPORARY one until the main tunnel is complete in a few years. The main tunnel will be more centrally located in the overall design of the airport, which will significantly cut down on the time needed to walk to the other concourse. An APM really won't be necessary when the main tunnel is complete, but will be if an additional concourse gets added well into the future. I will say that the airport's administration did woefully underestimate the traffic rebound, which is totally on them, but it did save over $100 million going this route.

[Removed unnecessarily snarky comment]

SLC - 1230 feet
DEN A-B - 1800 feet <---APM
DTW - 1050 feet
ORD T1 - 840 feet
LAX TBIT Midfield - 1300 feet