Beginning at the Sunnyside Park (corner of Sunnyside Ave. & Guardsman Way) in Salt Lake City head east on Sunnyside Avenue towards the mountains, going uphill. The easy thing about this ride is that for the most part it stays on this street – Sunnyside eventually changes in name to Emigration Canyon road. It isn’t until a little after you reach the top of Emigration Canyon that you turn onto a different road. Just follow Sunnyside Ave./Emigration Canyon Road uphill until you reach the top of the climb. There will be an occasional flat to let gear up, cruise and relax some. The ride takes you by Hogle Zoo, Ruth’s Diner, Camp Kostopulos (4.1 miles), and The Sun & Moon Café (7 mi). Shortly after the Café the road hairpins back (7.85 mi) for a nice ascending stretch before you reach the final hairpin at the 9 mile mark. From here you only have half a mile more of climbing to reach the top. There is a nice view at The Road to Zion overlook of Little Dell Reservoir. This is a good place for a pit stop because there are bathroom facilities here.

If one is feeling strong then they should go on to ride the steeper inclines of Big Mountain. To reach this point continue riding the same road (Emigration Canyon) downhill towards Little Dell Reservoir. At the bottom of this hill there is a stop sign. You’ll notice a sign stating that this is an Auto Tour Route – I would assume that this would be considered part of the California, Mormon Pioneer and Pony Express National Historic Trails. Take a left turn at this stop sign onto Highway 65 heading east, away from Interstate 80 in the distance. Follow this road to the top to reach Big Mountain Pass. The road starts out flat then slowly ascends to a steep grade before approaching 2 or 3 switchbacks. While the road to the top is more winding there is less traffic then the ride up Emigration. One of the noticeable landmarks at the top of the Big Mountain climb is a tall radar tower which can be spotted a few miles out from the top and can serve as a beacon of hope to “reel” riders in. Once at the top the total mileage reached is about 17 miles. From here one can continue to follow Highway 65 for a trip to East Canyon Reservoir and even onward on Highway 66 to Morgan. Otherwise, returning from Big Mountain Pass back to where this ride started from is just a matter of following the exact same route used to reach this point which creates a round trip of about 34 miles. Please take caution when descending the hills, in particular Big Mountain, since it is easy to go beyond 40 m.p.h. and the hairpin turns demand a decrease in speed – it wouldn’t be hard to fly off the mountain! Also be aware of cars trying to pass.