Big Cottonwood Canyon Scenic Byway | ||||
Route information | ||||
Maintained by UDOT | ||||
Length | 19.934 mi [1] (32.081 km) | |||
Existed | 1987–present | |||
Restrictions | Closed in winter over Guardsman Pass [2] | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end | East 6200 South in Holladay | |||
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East end | Salt Lake County/Wasatch County line | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Utah | |||
Counties | Salt Lake | |||
Highway system | ||||
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State Route 190 (SR-190) or the Big Cottonwood Canyon Scenic Byway is primarily an east and west state highway and scenic highway in eastern Salt Lake County, Utah, United States, that begins at Interstate 215 (I-215), runs through Big Cottonwood Canyon (including the Brighton Loop), and ends at the Salt Lake and Wasatch county line.
SR-190 begins at a single point urban interchange with I-215 (though the rightmost lane of the eastbound off-ramp actually leads to 3000 East instead of SR-190) and the road curves to the south as it climbs from the Knudsen's Corner lowlands near Big Cottonwood Creek to run first along the bottom of the south-facing mountainside leading up to Mount Olympus to the north and then along the west-facing mountainside just north of Big Cottonwood Canyon's mouth. The border between the cities of Holladay and Cottonwood Heights loosely follows the route until the intersection with Wasatch Boulevard. North of Wasatch Boulevard, the route passes several office buildings, the Old Mill Golf Course, and a Utah Transit Authority park-and-ride lot. South of Wasatch Boulevard (where SR-190 actually takes on the Wasatch Boulevard name) there is only a quarry to the east and the view to the valley below to the west; at the base of the cliff, but out of sight, is the old paper mill building with which the area is often identified.
The route continues south over a bridge spanning Big Cottonwood Creek and the planned final phase of the Big Cottonwood Creek multi-use trail at the mouth of the canyon, then intersects with SR-210, which continues south as Wasatch Boulevard, and Fort Union Boulevard, which heads west. Traffic following SR-190 east must turn left at this intersection. Beyond the intersection, park-and-ride lots used only for ski buses (or otherwise for the benefit of canyon visitors) and a water treatment plant are visible to the north and residential development within Cottonwood Heights city occupies the slope to the south.
Signs of urban development quickly disappear as the canyon walls get closer together. The route passes many trailheads and picnic areas within the canyon, as well as historic water- and mining-related infrastructure and a few areas of cabins, before passing Solitude Mountain Resort and looping through Brighton.
After looping through Brighton, the route connects (with some backtracking) to a narrower mountain road across Guardsman Pass, terminating (with a non-state-maintained connection through to Park City via Utah State Route 224 (SR-224)and Midway/Heber City via SR-222) at the top of the pass as it enters Wasatch County. This part of the road is normally closed all winter.
The legal definition of State Route 190 is as follows:
72-4-124. State highways -- SR-186, SR-189, SR-190.
(3) SR-190. From Route 215 at Knudsen's Corner southeasterly to Route 210 at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon; then easterly through Big Cottonwood Canyon to Brighton, including Brighton Loop; then easterly through Guardsman Pass to the Salt Lake-Wasatch County line. [3]
The first piece of present SR-190 was added to the state highway system in 1933 as part of Utah State Route 152 (SR-152), which followed Highland Drive, 6200 South, and Big Cottonwood Canyon Road from Salt Lake City to the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest boundary in Big Cottonwood Canyon. [4] In 1941,SR-152 was extended east in the forest to Brighton, [5] and in 1945 the connection from Highland Drive to the canyon was moved south to Fort Union Boulevard. [6] In order to provide access to the new Wasatch Mountain State Park, SR-152 was extended east from Brighton in 1963, following an existing county road over Guardsman Pass to end at SR-224. Finally, in 1987, a piece in the middle of SR-152, from I-215 south and east to Wasatch Boulevard (Utah State Route 210 [SR-210]), was removed from the state highway system. In its place was a proposed limited access road, extending 6200 South past I-215 and along Wasatch Boulevard to Big Cottonwood Canyon Road. To avoid an overlap of SR-152 on I-215, the new roadway became an extension of SR-210, and former SR-152 from Wasatch Boulevard to SR-224 became a new State Route 190. [7] To avoid the necessity of remileposting SR-210, the new connection instead became part of SR-190 in 1988, bringing that route to its maximum extent: I-215 to SR-224. As part of a trade with Wasatch County in which the state took back what is now Utah State Route 32, and had been U.S. Route 189, from U.S. Route 40 south of the Jordanelle Reservoir to Francis, the east end of SR-190 was cut back to the Salt Lake–Wasatch County line in 1990. [8]
The entire route is in Salt Lake County.
Location | mi [1] | km | Destinations [9] | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Holladay | 0.000 | 0.000 | East 6200 South (Big Cottonwood Road) east – SR-152 (Van Winkle/South Highland Drive) | Continuation west from western terminus | |
East 6200 South (Big Cottonwood Road) | Western terminus: 40°38′18″N111°48′37″W / 40.63833°N 111.81028°W (at overhead direction sign at Knudsen's Corner) | ||||
0.021– 0.182 | 0.034– 0.293 | I-215 north – Millcreek, I-80 & SR-186 I-215 west – Murray, I-15, Salt Lake City, I-80, I-15 | Single point urban interchange | ||
Cottonwood Heights | 1.830 | 2.945 | SR-210 east (Wasatch Boulevard) – Granite, SR-209, Alta | Road heading west from intersection is Fort Union Boulevard | |
| 19.934 | 32.081 | Salt Lake – Wasatch county line | Eastern terminus: 40°36′24″N111°33′18″W / 40.60667°N 111.55500°W | |
Guardsman Pass Road east – SR-224, Park City, Midway | Continuation east from eastern terminus | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
Cottonwood Heights is a city located in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States, along the east bench of the Salt Lake Valley. It lies south of the cities of Holladay and Murray, east of Midvale, and north of Sandy within the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. Originally a census-designated place (CDP), following a successful referendum in May 2004, the city was incorporated on January 14, 2005. The population, as of the 2020 census, was 33,617.
The Wasatch Range or Wasatch Mountains is a mountain range in the western United States that runs about 160 miles (260 km) from the Utah-Idaho border south to central Utah. It is the western edge of the greater Rocky Mountains, and the eastern edge of the Great Basin region. The northern extension of the Wasatch Range, the Bear River Mountains, extends just into Idaho, constituting all of the Wasatch Range in that state.
Interstate 215 (I-215), also known locally as the Belt Route, is an auxiliary Interstate in the U.S. state of Utah that forms a three-quarters loop around Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs. The route begins at the mouth of Parley's Canyon at a junction with I-80 east of the city center, and heads south through the edge of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area's eastern suburbs of Millcreek, Holladay, and Cottonwood Heights. It continues west through Murray before turning north again, passing through the city's first-ring western suburbs of Taylorsville and West Valley City. It then enters North Salt Lake and Davis County for a short distance before reaching I-15 northwest of the city center.
Big Cottonwood Canyon is a canyon in the Wasatch Range 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah. The 15-mile (24 km)-long canyon provides hiking, biking, picnicking, rock-climbing, camping, and fishing in the summer. Its two ski resorts, Brighton and Solitude, are popular among skiers and snowboarders. The canyon is accessed by The Big Cottonwood Canyon Scenic Byway (SR-190), which runs its length to Guardsman Pass at the top of the canyon, allowing travel to Park City in the summer months.
State Route 186 (SR-186) is a state highway entirely within Salt Lake City, capital of the U.S. state of Utah. It forms a quarter-beltway connecting US-89 and I-15 leading north from Salt Lake City to I-80 leading east; as such, it effectively forms the missing (non-freeway) quarter of the I-215 belt route around the city, though it does not directly connect to I-215 at the north end. Despite this beltway role, the route passes through downtown Salt Lake City because downtown is built right up to the northern mountains surrounding City Creek Canyon. The portion of the route connecting downtown to I-80 is a high-capacity street heavily used by commuters, especially those travelling to the University of Utah or between downtown and eastern neighborhoods, but the portion on Capitol Hill north of downtown is much narrower and has sharp turns around the Capitol grounds. The roadway runs 9.34 miles (15.03 km) along Victory Road, Columbus Street, 300 North, State Street, 400 South, 500 South, and Foothill Drive.
State Route 171 (SR-171) is a state highway in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area in northern Utah that runs from SR-111 in Magna in the west side of the city to Interstate 215 in the city of Millcreek in the eastern part valley. In its sixteen-mile span, the route is named 3500 South and 3300 South.
State Route 71 (SR-71) is a state highway completely within the Salt Lake City metropolitan area in the northern portion of the US state of Utah. It runs from SR-154 in the southwest side of the city to SR-186 in Downtown Salt Lake City. The route spans 22.47 miles (36.16 km) as it runs along portions of 12600 South, 12300 South, 900 East, and 700 East streets.
U.S. Route 89 in the U.S. state of Utah is a north-south United States Highway spanning more than 502 miles (807.891 km) through the central part of the state, making it the longest road in Utah. Between Provo and Brigham City, US-89 serves as a local road, paralleling Interstate 15, but the portions from Arizona north to Provo and Brigham City northeast to Wyoming serve separate corridors. The former provides access to several national parks and Arizona, and the latter connects I-15 with Logan, the state's only Metropolitan Statistical Area not on the Interstate.
State Route 92 (SR-92), also known in various portions as the Timpanogos Highway, and Alpine Loop Scenic Highway is a scenic state highway in Utah County, Utah that runs from I-15/US-89 in Lehi to US-189 in Provo Canyon. The route is 27.296 miles (43.929 km) long and is the only road with access to Sundance Ski Resort and the Aspen Grove Family Camp and Conference Center.
State Route 152 (SR-152) is a state highway in the suburbs of Salt Lake City, Utah connecting SR-71 in Murray to I-215 and city-maintained Highland Drive in Cottonwood Heights, though for almost all of its length it forms the border between Murray and Holladay. The route, which is 3.04 miles (4.89 km), is laid on the entire length of the Van Winkle Expressway and a portion of Highland Drive.
State Route 224 (SR-224) is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of Utah. The route connects Interstate 80 and Kimball Junction in the north to Park City in the south. Ski resorts line the mostly four-lane highway, including Park City Resort and Deer Valley. The highway has changed paths many times since its formation in 1941, at one point connecting to Big Cottonwood Canyon and Salt Lake County. However, realignments brought the route to its present path by 1990.
State Route 248 is a highway in northern Utah that connects Park City with Kamas. In Park City it is known as Kearns Boulevard.
State Route 210 (SR-210) is a state route in the U.S. state of Utah that is the access road for Little Cottonwood Canyon and the ski resorts of Alta and Snowbird. The 13.62 mi (21.92 km) highway straddles the southeastern edge of the Salt Lake Valley before it enters the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon.
State Route 39 (SR-39) is a state highway in northern Utah connecting Ogden to Woodruff via Ogden Canyon and Huntsville. The highway is on 12th Street in Ogden and the Ogden River Scenic Byway through Ogden Canyon. The route is over sixty-seven miles long.
State Route 209 (SR-209) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Utah, following 9000 South and other east–west streets south of Salt Lake City. It connects the Bingham Canyon Mine with I-15 in Sandy and the ski areas of Little Cottonwood Canyon.
State Route 181 (SR-181) was a state highway in the U.S. state of Utah connecting SR-152 in Murray and Holladay north to SR-186 in Salt Lake City at its peak, the former being suburbs of the latter. The route was 6.9 miles (11.10 km) for thirty-eight years before being truncated in 2007 and decommissioned entirely later in the same year.
State Route 222 (SR-222) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Utah. Spanning 3.3 miles (5.3 km), it connects the city of Midway on Utah 113 with Wasatch Mountain State Park, and non-state-maintained connections to Park City and Brighton via Empire Pass and Guardsman Pass.
Guardsman Pass (elevation 9,717 feet is a high mountain pass in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. The pass is located on the boundaries of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest to the west, and the Bonanza Flats backcountry area to the east.
(152) From Twenty-seventh South street southeasterly along Highland Drive to the forest boundary line in Big Cottonwood canyon.
Route 152. From Twenty-seventh South Street in Salt Lake City southeasterly via Highland Drive and Big Cottonwood Canyon to Brighton.
Route 152. From Twenty-seventh South Street in Salt Lake City southeasterly via Highland Drive to Seventieth South Street, thence easterly via Big Cottonwood Canyon to Brighton.