Guardsman Pass (elevation is a high

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human a ...

in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. The pass is located on the boundaries of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (specifically the portion known as the

Wasatch National Forest Wasatch National Forest was established as the Wasatch Forest Reserve by the U.S. Forest Service in Utah on August 16, 1906 with to the east of Salt Lake City and Provo. It became a National Forest on March 4, 1907. On July 1, 1908 Grantsv ...

) to the west, and the Bonanza Flats backcountry area to the east. It is located just south of Tri-County Peak, where Summit, Wasatch, and Salt Lake counties meet, and also provides summer

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

and winter

snowmobiling A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...

access to Clayton Peak at the top of Brighton ski area. It is also a

trailhead A trailhead is the point at which a trail begins, where the trail is often intended for hiking, biking, horseback riding, or off-road vehicles. Modern trailheads often contain rest rooms, maps, sign posts and distribution centers for information ...

for other trails in the area, though some are being moved due to the lack of space for

parking Parking is the act of stopping and disengaging a vehicle and leaving it unoccupied. Parking on one or both sides of a road is often permitted, though sometimes with restrictions. Some buildings have parking facilities for use of the buildings' ...

and the limited

sight distance Stopping sight distance is one of several types of sight distance used in road design. It is a near worst-case distance a vehicle driver needs to be able to see in order to have room to stop before colliding with something in the roadway, suc ...

for vehicles pulling out onto the roadway.

Access

Guardsman Pass is traversed by Guardsman Pass Road, which is also designated as Utah 190 west (and formerly east) of the pass. Due to heavy amounts of

snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

at the high elevation of the pass, this road is closed in winter, generally from November to May but depending on actual conditions each year. This road connects to Big Cottonwood Canyon on the west side of the pass. On the east side, it connects to Midway via Pine Canyon Road and Utah 222, and to

Park City Park City may refer to: a city in Utah. Places * National Park City, London, England, UK; see parks and open spaces in London in the United States * Park City, Illinois * Park City, Kansas * Park City, Kentucky * Park City, Montana * Park City, ...

via Utah 224 over nearby

Empire Pass An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

. Wasatch county paved the last unpaved section of the road over just a few days in late September 2018, also installing around of

guard rail Guard rail, guardrails, or protective guarding, in general, are a boundary feature and may be a means to prevent or deter access to dangerous or off-limits areas while allowing light and visibility in a greater way than a fence. Common shapes ...

. This section from the pass to 224 is immediately below Pinyon Ridge (including Jupiter Hill) which divides Wasatch and Summit counties, and is the southern boundary for the Park City Mountain Resort and part of

Deer Valley Resort Deer Valley is an alpine ski resort in the Wasatch Range, located east of Salt Lake City, in Park City, Utah, United States. The resort, known for its upscale amenities, is consistently ranked among the top ski resorts in North America. Deer V ...

ski areas.

References

Landforms of Salt Lake County, Utah Landforms of Wasatch County, Utah Mountain passes of Utah Wasatch Range {{utah-geo-stub