| Parleys Canyon | |
|---|---|
 The mouth of Parleys Canyon, facing East. | |
| Traversed by |  I-80 |
| Location | Salt Lake /Summit counties,Utah,United States |
| Range | Wasatch Mountains |
| Coordinates | 40°42′43″N111°47′53″W / 40.71194°N 111.79806°W /40.71194; -111.79806 |
 Interactive map of Parleys Canyon | |
Parleys Canyon is a canyon located in theU.S. state ofUtah.[1] The canyon provides the route ofInterstate 80 (I-80) (and previously theLincoln Highway,U.S. Route 40, and a railroad) up the western slope of theWasatch Mountains and is a relatively wide, straight canyon other than near its mouth. Themountain pass at the top of the canyon is known asParleys 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 forParley P. Pratt, an early settler of theSalt Lake Valley and leader ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who surveyed the area to find a better transportation route through the Wasatch Mountains than the previous route which traversedEmigration Canyon.
Parleys Canyon begins whereI-215 merges into I-80 inSalt Lake City and ends at Parleys Summit. The lower part of the canyon is relatively twisty and narrow and had to bedynamited to make way for I-80. Despite this, the interstate remains six or more lanes wide throughout the canyon; it is built over Parleys Creek in many places. Work is also underway to extend theParleys Trailmulti-use path through this segment to improve non-motorized access.
The canyon widens dramatically nearMountain Dell Dam andUtah State Route 65 (SR-65) splits from the freeway (which turns southeast temporarily) to provide access toMorgan County to the northeast. SR-65 also provides a connection to a local road leading over the ridge toEmigration Canyon in the same area where theMormon trail crossed into that canyon.Little Dell Dam can be seen higher up on the side of Parleys Canyon in this area. As the freeway turns back toward the east, there is also an exit for the road leading upLambs Canyon (a side canyon of Parleys Canyon).
The area around Parleys Summit is part of theSummit Parkcensus-designated place (CDP). However, this area is more commonly referred to as Jeremy Ranch or Parleys 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 continues into theSnyderville Basin, which is where the popular resort town ofPark City is located. Also within the basin is the ski jump built for the2002 Winter Olympic Games and the large shopping district atKimball Junction.
A $5m wildlife overpass was completed in December 2018 to allow wildlife to cross I-80 safely. The overpass is 50 feet wide and 320 feet long; animals near that location by exit 140 are funneled onto the overpass with 3.5 miles of fencing.[2]
| Climate data for Parley's Summit, Utah, 2004–2020 normals: 7500ft (2286m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 64 (18) | 58 (14) | 69 (21) | 74 (23) | 81 (27) | 87 (31) | 88 (31) | 88 (31) | 84 (29) | 77 (25) | 66 (19) | 57 (14) | 88 (31) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 48.9 (9.4) | 49.6 (9.8) | 57.7 (14.3) | 64.4 (18.0) | 72.6 (22.6) | 78.9 (26.1) | 84.8 (29.3) | 83.2 (28.4) | 78.2 (25.7) | 68.1 (20.1) | 57.9 (14.4) | 48.8 (9.3) | 85.3 (29.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 34.5 (1.4) | 36.0 (2.2) | 43.9 (6.6) | 48.8 (9.3) | 56.7 (13.7) | 67.0 (19.4) | 76.4 (24.7) | 75.4 (24.1) | 66.2 (19.0) | 52.3 (11.3) | 42.0 (5.6) | 32.5 (0.3) | 52.6 (11.5) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 27.2 (−2.7) | 28.0 (−2.2) | 35.2 (1.8) | 39.7 (4.3) | 47.5 (8.6) | 56.8 (13.8) | 65.6 (18.7) | 64.6 (18.1) | 56.2 (13.4) | 43.9 (6.6) | 34.6 (1.4) | 25.6 (−3.6) | 43.7 (6.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 19.8 (−6.8) | 20.0 (−6.7) | 26.4 (−3.1) | 30.6 (−0.8) | 38.4 (3.6) | 46.6 (8.1) | 54.8 (12.7) | 53.8 (12.1) | 46.3 (7.9) | 35.6 (2.0) | 27.1 (−2.7) | 18.7 (−7.4) | 34.8 (1.6) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 1.4 (−17.0) | 3.4 (−15.9) | 13.6 (−10.2) | 18.2 (−7.7) | 27.4 (−2.6) | 33.2 (0.7) | 46.4 (8.0) | 44.2 (6.8) | 32.2 (0.1) | 20.0 (−6.7) | 8.8 (−12.9) | 1.1 (−17.2) | −4.2 (−20.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −9 (−23) | −15 (−26) | 2 (−17) | 10 (−12) | 20 (−7) | 24 (−4) | 38 (3) | 35 (2) | 26 (−3) | −2 (−19) | −2 (−19) | −12 (−24) | −15 (−26) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.95 (100) | 3.48 (88) | 3.63 (92) | 4.00 (102) | 2.70 (69) | 1.37 (35) | 0.82 (21) | 1.16 (29) | 1.98 (50) | 2.83 (72) | 3.42 (87) | 3.85 (98) | 33.19 (843) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 34.00 (86.4) | 25.50 (64.8) | 20.90 (53.1) | 15.70 (39.9) | 3.10 (7.9) | 0.50 (1.3) | 0.00 (0.00) | 0.00 (0.00) | 0.90 (2.3) | 5.70 (14.5) | 15.50 (39.4) | 31.10 (79.0) | 152.9 (388.6) |
| Source 1: XMACIS2[3] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (Snyderville snowfall)[4][5] | |||||||||||||
The canyon receives its name fromParley 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.[6] Construction on the road started in 1848 and was completed in 1850. The road through Parleys Canyon became the primary route into theSalt Lake Valley, surpassing the original route throughEmigration Canyon.[7]
Later, in 1881, the canyon was used by anarrow gauge branchline owned by theDenver & Rio Grande Western Railway from Salt Lake to Park City (theSalt Lake and Park City Railway). However, with its steep grades the line struggled to compete with theUnion Pacific's line (viaCoalville, connecting to the UP main atEcho). The line was eventually rebuilt tostandard gauge by theRio Grande Western who along with their successor the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, operated trains up into the canyon until 1956.[7] Some remnants of the Rio Grande line through Parleys Canyon, namely the cuts for thehorseshoe curves, are in use by local roads and visible off the shoulder of the freeway.[7] A lower portion of the same railroad line outside of Parley's Canyon, remains in use in the present day as the right of way for theUTA S-Line streetcar.
