Here are the steepest streets in Salt Lake City
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Zane Avenue climbs to the sky. Photo: Erin Alberty/Axios
With snow possible this week, let's take a look at some of the steepest streets in SLC so you can plot your routes around them.
How it works: Salt Lake City provided the highest ranking slope estimates from a GIS shapefile.
- Those were measured by block — the lengths of which vary drastically from place to place.
- We averaged the lengths of the steepest blocks in Marmalade — the roller-coasteriest neighborhood in town — and compared that to similar distances on other streets, using Google Earth's elevation estimates.
- Crack open that middle school math book for slope: Rise over run — meaning a larger number is a steeper hill.
Here are the steepest blocks (or block segments) we found:
West Zane, Wall Street to Capitol Street
- With 75 feet elevation gained in 372 feet of distance, this is the steepest single block we could find.
- Slope (rise over run): 0.20
300 North, West Temple to Almond St.
- Slope: 0.19
- My thought bubble: The last time I drove this block, I was honestly concerned my car might end up a** over teakettle.
West Girard, Capitol Street to Darwin Street
- Slope: 0.18
- Zane's not-so-little brother.
Harrison Avenue, 350 feet west of 1300 East
- Slope: 0.18
- Raise your hand if your parents made you learn to drive a stick here.
Browning Avenue, 350 feet west of 1300 East
- Slope: 0.18
- Raise your hand if you still get nervous when you have to drive a stick here.
Apricot Avenue, Center to Main
- Slope: 0.17
- It's so steep you can hardly see the top from the bottom.
400 North, Center to Main
- Slope: 0.17
- This block is technically the steepest per city records, but we excluded the half that's a pedestrian-only stairway — a street design choice that's probably for the best.
Sherman Avenue, 350 feet west of 1300 East
- Slope: 0.16
- Raise your hand if the hill in this neighborhood motivated you to buy a car with automatic transmission.
The bottom line: Stay safe, check your brakes, and know that if you've cried actual tears trying to bust out of a red light at 1300 South — I have too!