Guardsman Pass (elevation is a high

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

in the

Wasatch Mountains The Wasatch Range ( ) or Wasatch Mountains is a mountain range in the western United States that runs about 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 G ...

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 In geography, a backcountry, back country or backwater is a geographical area that is remote, undeveloped, isolated, or difficult to access. These areas are typically rural or mountainous and sparsely populated. Terminology 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 A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

and winter

snowmobiling A snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine (chiefly Alaskan), motor sled (chiefly Canadian), motor sledge, skimobile, snow scooter, or simply a sled is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. Their engines normally ...

access to Clayton Peak at the top of

Brighton Ski Resort Brighton Ski Resort is a ski area in the Western United States, western United States, located in Big Cottonwood Canyon in Brighton, Utah, Brighton, Utah. About from Downtown Salt Lake City, downtown Salt Lake City, it is owned and operated ...

. It is also a

trailhead A trailhead is the point where a trail begins or is accessed, where the trail is often intended for hiking, biking, horseback riding, or off-road vehicles. Modern trailheads often contain restrooms, maps, signposts, and distribution centers for ...

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 usually 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 bu ...

and the limited sight distance 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 consists of 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 througho ...

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 Big Cottonwood Canyon is a canyon in the Wasatch Range southeast of Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah. The -long canyon provides hiking, biking, picnicking, rock-climbing, camping, and fishing in the summer. Its two ski resorts, Bright ...

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 via Utah 224 over nearby Empire Pass. 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 rails, guardrails, railings 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. Commo ...

. 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

Park City Mountain Resort Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) is a ski resort in the western United States in Park City, Utah, located east of Salt Lake City. Park City, as the ski resort and area is known, contains several training courses for the U.S. Ski Team, includin ...

and part of Deer Valley Resort.

References

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