Parley's Canyon

Parley's Summit
Statue of Parley P. Pratt facing Parley's Canyon at dawn
Traversed by	I-80
Location	Salt Lake / Summit counties, Utah, United States
Range	Wasatch Mountains
Coordinates	40°42′43″N 111°47′53″W / 40.71194°N 111.79806°W / 40.71194; -111.79806Coordinates: 40°42′43″N 111°47′53″W / 40.71194°N 111.79806°W / 40.71194; -111.79806

Parley's Canyon is a canyon located in the U.S. state of Utah. The canyon provides the route of Interstate 80 (I-80) (and previously the Lincoln Highway, U.S. Route 40, and a railroad) up the western slope of the Wasatch Mountains and is a relatively wide, straight canyon other than near its mouth. The mountain pass at the top of the canyon is known as Parley's 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 for Parley P. Pratt, an early settler of the Salt Lake Valley and Mormon leader who surveyed the area to find a better transportation route through the Wasatch Mountains than the previous route which traversed Emigration Canyon.

Parley's Canyon begins where I-215 merges into I-80 in Salt Lake City and ends at Parley's Summit. The lower part of the canyon is relatively twisty and narrow and had to be dynamited to make way for I-80. Despite this, the interstate remains six or more lanes wide throughout the canyon; it is built over Parley's Creek in many places. Work is also underway to extend the Parley's Trail multi-use path through this segment to improve non-motorized access.

The canyon widens dramatically near Mountain Dell Dam and Utah State Route 65 (SR-65) splits from the freeway (which turns southeast temporarily) to provide access to Morgan County to the northeast. SR-65 also provides a connection to a local road leading over the ridge to Emigration Canyon in the same area where the Mormon trail crossed into that canyon. Little Dell Dam can be seen higher up on the side of Parley's Canyon in this area. As the freeway turns back toward the east, there is also an exit for the road leading up Lambs Canyon (a side canyon of Parley's Canyon).