Parley's Canyon
| Parley's Summit | |
|---|---|
 Statue of Parley P. Pratt facing Parley's Canyon at dawn |
|
| Traversed by | Interstate 80, Lincoln Highway |
| Location | |
| Location | Salt Lake / Summit counties, Utah,  United States |
| Range | Wasatch Mountains |
| Coordinates | 40°45′06″N 111°37′21″W / 40.75167°N 111.6225°W |
Parley's Canyon is a canyon located in the U.S. state of Utah. The canyon provides the route of Interstate 80 (and previously the Lincoln Highway and U.S. Route 40) up the western slope of the Wasatch Mountains and is a relatively wide, straight canyon. The mountain pass at the top of the canyon is known as Parley's Summit. With an elevation of 7,120 feet (2,170 m), the pass is the highest point along I-80 in the state of Utah. Both features are named for Parley P. Pratt, an early settler of the Salt Lake Valley and Mormon leader who surveyed the area to find a better transportation route through the Wasatch Mountains.
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[edit] Description
The lower part of the canyon, however, is relatively twisty and had to be dynamited to make way for I-80. Despite this, the interstate remains six lanes wide throughout the canyon. Parley's Canyon begins where Interstate 215 merges into I-80 in Salt Lake City and ends at Parley's Summit. The area around the pass is part of the Summit Park census-designated place (CDP). However, this area is more commonly referred to as Jeremy Ranch or Parley's Summit. Here, the canyon is wide enough to form large communities along the sides of the freeway along the gentle mountain slopes. On the other side of the summit the freeway unfolds into the Snyderville Basin, which is where the popular resort town of Park City is located. Located within the basin is the ski jump built for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games and the large shopping district that has manifested itself around Kimball Junction.
[edit] History
The canyon receives its name from Parley P. Pratt who was assigned to explore the canyon, called Big Canyon at the time, and to build a toll road, called the Golden Pass Toll Road.[1] Construction on the road started in 1848 and was completed in 1850. The road through Parley's Canyon became the primary route into the Salt Lake Valley, surpassing the original route through Emigration Canyon.[2] The canyon was briefly used by a narrow gauge spur line of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad from Salt Lake to Park City. However, with its steep grades the line was unable to compete with the Union Pacific's line, (via Coalville, connecting to the UP main at Echo). Although the D&RG considered rebuilding their line to standard gauge, the line was abandoned before these plans were implemented. Some remnants of the D&RG line through Parley's Canyon, namely the cuts for the horseshoe curves, are in use by local roads and visible off the shoulder of the freeway.[2]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Arave, Lynn (January 5, 2006). "Tidbits of history — Unusual highlights of Salt Lake County". Deseret Morning News. pp. S1-S2. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650218849,00.html. Retrieved 2007-01-05.
- ^ a b "The Golden Pass: Parley's Canyon, Utah". Utah Rails official website. Archived from the original on October 10, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20061010083523/http://utahrails.net/utahrails/parleys.php. Retrieved October 12, 2006.
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 40°42′43″N 111°47′53″W / 40.71194°N 111.79806°W
