Utah Opens East Canyon Road, More Wasatch Back Passes Set to Open

The Wasatch Back’s summer driving season took a real step forward when Utah Department of Transportation opened state Route 65 through East Canyon on May 7, giving travelers a passable route from Big Mountain Summit near mile marker 8 to mile marker 22 outside Henefer. For hikers, bikers and scenic drivers, that matters immediately: the road is now one more access line into the high country, the kind that opens trailheads, campgrounds and mountain viewpoints that stay out of reach all winter.

SR-65 is now the fourth Wasatch Back seasonal road to open this year. UDOT had already opened state Route 35 at Wolf Creek Summit between Francis and Hanna, state Route 224 through Guardsman Pass at the Summit and Wasatch County line, and Indian Creek Road to Highway 6 in mid-April. UDOT’s seasonal roads status page says East Canyon will stay open until fall 2026, which gives Summit County travelers a usable window for shoulder-season loops, quick over-the-mountain drives and day trips that depend on snow-free pavement.

The next big move comes Monday, May 11, when SR-190 through Guardsman Pass, from Brighton to Park City, is scheduled to open at 7 a.m. That opening fills in a key east-west recreation connection, but it also shows how staggered the mountain season still is. The Park City side of Guardsman is already open on SR-224, while the Brighton side remains on a different timetable, and that difference can decide whether a planned ride, hike or scenic crossing works at all.

Other high-country routes are still coming later. Mirror Lake Highway east of Kamas has not opened yet, and UDOT says spring openings depend on melt-out and road crews finishing their work. Seasonal roads typically close from November through May or June, depending on weather, so a route that opens one week can still be delayed on another side of the pass if snow lingers. For anyone planning a weekend in Summit County or the Wasatch, the message is simple: East Canyon is open now, Guardsman Pass is expanding access in stages, and the rest of the high country is still waiting its turn.