State Highway 9 (SH 9) in the U.S. state of

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

is a state highway through central Colorado. SH 9's southern terminus is at

U.S. Route 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...

(US 50) near Cañon City, and the northern terminus is at US 40 in Kremmling. SH 9 is part of the Gold Belt Byway from US 50 to High Park Road and the Colorado River Headwaters National Scenic Byway from US 40 to Trough Road.

Route description

Colorado State Highway 9 near Hoosier Pass, July 2016

State Highway 9 starts at a junction with US 50 west of Cañon City. It heads northwest, following Currant Creek most of the way to

Currant Creek Pass Currant Creek Pass elevation is a mountain pass in the Front Range of central Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southe ...

where it enters an open area known as South Park. The south fork of the South Platte is crossed as the highway enters Hartsel and a junction with US 24. SH 9 follows US 24 west for , then splits off to head northwest again. Just south of

Fairplay FairPlay is a digital rights management (DRM) technology developed by Apple Inc. It is built into the MP4 multimedia file format as an encrypted AAC audio layer, and was used until April 2009 by the company to protect copyrighted works sold thr ...

, it joins northbound US 285. At Fairplay SH 9 leaves US 285 to head northwest, following the middle fork of the South Platte most of the way to Hoosier Pass where it crosses the

Continental Divide A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, no ...

above sea level. Switchbacks drop the highway to the Blue River which it follows north through Breckenridge to

Dillon Reservoir Dillon Reservoir, sometimes referred to as Lake Dillon, is a large fresh water reservoir located in Summit County, Colorado, United States, south of I-70 and bordered by the towns of Frisco, Silverthorne, and Dillon. It is a reservoir for the ...

. The highway goes around the west side of the reservoir, through Frisco and joins I 70 as it heads northeast. At

Silverthorne The Town of Silverthorne is a home rule municipality in Summit County, Colorado. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 3,887. History The town was named for Judge Marshall Silverthorn who served as the judge of the mine ...

, SH 9 leaves I 70 to continue northwest alongside the Blue River. SH 9 crosses the

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...

just before its termination at a junction with US 40 in Kremmling. In 2016, the state completed a

wildlife crossing Wildlife crossings are structures that allow animals to cross human-made barriers safely. Wildlife crossings may include underpass tunnels or wildlife tunnels, viaducts, and overpasses or green bridges (mainly for large or herd-type animals); ...

project to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions between Green Mountain Reservoir and Kremmling, including 2 wildlife overpasses and 5 underpasses; the state also widened the road and shoulders.

Major intersections

References

External links

Colorado Highways
link to State Highway 9 {{DEFAULTSORT:Colorado State Highway 009 Transportation in Park County, Colorado Transportation in Fremont County, Colorado Transportation in Grand County, Colorado Transportation in Summit County, Colorado 009