The stunning plains and valley passes of Utah make Soldier Summit one of the best loved mountain passes of the western United States. At the crest of the Wasatch Plateau, Soldier Summit is a 69 mile broad valley pass joining the communities of Helper and Provo, and is the highest point on the Denver and Rio Grande railroad in Utah. Discovered by Franciscan priests and used by Native Americans before them, the pass has been an important transportation route for many years.Today, the summit is a popular photo spot for railfans, and the Gilluly loops - a series of horseshoe curves - on the western approach to the summit provide spectacular scenes as heavy freight trains power their way up the pass, a challenging drive for all railroad engineers and one that makes Soldier Summit an epic US rail route.Included with the route is a Rio Grande SD40T-2 diesel locomotive, the famous F40PH ‘California Zephyr’, and Rio Grande GP9 road switcher.