There were two equally onerous obstacles along the Salt Lake Wagon Road that early-on pioneers had to overcome; on the east end of the trail, there was Virgin Hill at Mormon Mesa and the Virgin River. To the west, the challenge was the Cajon Pass.
Virgin Hill was a 360-foot change in elevation in only .6 miles (1 foot rise every 9 feet). Teams would have to be doubled up to pull loads over the rocky vertical sections of the steep trail.
