Wasatch and Uintas: Alpine Loop to the Mirror Lake Highway

Route description

Leave Salt Lake City south on I-15 to American Fork and turn east on Utah 92 into American Fork Canyon. Timpanogos Cave is 5 km in; the steep paved trail climbs 335 m to the cave entrance, and tours must be booked ahead. The Alpine Loop continues over the shoulder of Mount Timpanogos as a narrow, twisting road. Vehicles over 30 ft are prohibited, and the pass is closed by snow from about November to late May.

The loop drops past Sundance to US-189 in Provo Canyon. Turn down-canyon for a short stop at Bridal Veil Falls, then drive up the canyon past Deer Creek Reservoir to Heber City. The Heber Valley Railroad runs heritage trains from here. If you are towing, skip the Alpine Loop and reach Provo Canyon from Orem on US-189 instead.

US-40 continues north to Park City, a former silver-mining town with a lively Main Street and the Utah Olympic Park, which hosts free exhibits. Parking in the old town is tight, so use the park-and-ride lots and free buses. From Park City, take Utah 248 east through open valleys to Kamas, which has fuel and groceries and is the start of the Mirror Lake Highway.

Utah 150 climbs from Kamas to Bald Mountain Pass at about 3,270 m and then runs down to the Wyoming line; Kamas to Evanston is about 125 km. A recreation pass, sold at the Kamas ranger station and at kiosks, is needed to stop along the byway. Many Forest Service campgrounds line the road near Mirror Lake. The highway is closed by snow for much of the year, usually opening in late May or June, and it ends in Evanston on I-80.