H-63 is a
county-designated highway (CDH) in the
Upper Peninsula
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by ...
of the US state of
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
. The highway parallels the
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from St ...
(I-75) corridor between
St. Ignace
St. Ignace is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Mackinac County. The city had a population of 2,452 at the 2010 census. St. Ignace Township is located just to the north of the city, but the two are administered auto ...
and
Sault Ste. Marie. The road is called
Mackinac Trail after the Upper Peninsula branch of an Indian trail used before European settlers reached the area. Originally, the roadway was built as a section of
US Highway 2 (US 2) before being added to the CDH system in the 1970s.
H-63 serves as a two-lane alternative to the I-75 freeway across the eastern end of the Upper Peninsula. Between the northern side of St. Ignace, the roadway has connections to two state highways before
running concurrently with
M-48 near
Rudyard. H-63 ends on the south side of Sault Ste. Marie.
Route description
H-63 starts a winding trail at
Business Loop I-75 (BL I-75) north of St. Ignace in rural
Mackinac County
Mackinac County ( ) is a county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 10,834. The county seat is St. Ignace. Formerly known as Michilimackinac County, in 1818 it was one of the first ...
. From there, the highway heads northward towards the Kewadin Casino. The road then passes within viewing distance of I-75 past the
Horseshoe Bay Wilderness
The Horseshoe Bay Wilderness is a wilderness area in the U.S. state of Michigan. It borders ''Horseshoe Bay'', a shallow bay that is part of the extreme northwest corner of Lake Huron adjacent to the Straits of Mackinac. The wilderness area is o ...
. As it continues, H-63 has a connection to the southern terminus of
M-123 with access to I-75 via a connecting road to M-123. After crossing to the west side of I-75, H-63 has access to I-75 via a connecting road to the western terminus of
M-134. The CDH runs to the north and into
Chippewa County. As it does so, H-63 turns away from I-75 as the latter curves northeastward. South of
Rudyard and into center of the community, H-63
runs concurrently with
M-48 for about .
[
From Rudyard northward, H-63 turns northeasterly toward, and runs parallel to, I-75. At ]Kinross
Kinross (, gd, Ceann Rois) is a burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, around south of Perth and around northwest of Edinburgh. It is the traditional county town of the historic county of Kinross-shire.
History
Kinross's origins are conn ...
, there is an interchange between I-75 and M-80; H-63 has a brief concurrency with M-80 so that the latter can connect to all of the ramps in the interchange. The trail then crosses to the eastern side of I-75. Near Dafter, the CDH intersects M-28. Along this section, H-63 is roughly a half mile (0.8 km) away from the I-75 freeway at any given point as it continues northward to the Sault Ste. Marie area. H-63 terminates at its intersection with Business Spur I-75 (BS I-75) on the south side of the city.
History
The first transportation route in the area was the Mackinac Trail, used by Native Americans before the Europeans arrived in the area; the trail in the area was the Upper Peninsula branch of a longer route that also connected the modern-day Saginaw
Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...
with Mackinaw City
Mackinaw City ( ) is a village in Emmet and Cheboygan counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 846 at the 2010 census, the population increases during summertime, including an influx of tourists and seasonal workers who serve ...
and the Straits of Mackinac.[ ] The designation on the 1971 state map follows the routing used today.
Major intersections
See also
*
References
External links
H-63 at Michigan Highways
{{DEFAULTSORT:H63
County-designated highways in Michigan
Transportation in Mackinac County, Michigan
Transportation in Chippewa County, Michigan
U.S. Route 2