Highway 86 (MT 86) is a north–south

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

in the U.S. State of Montana. MT 86's southern terminus is at I-90 Bus. and

U.S. Route 191 U.S. Route 191 (US 191) is a spur of U.S. Route 91 that has two branches. The southern branch runs for from Douglas, Arizona on the Mexican border to the southern part of Yellowstone National Park. The northern branch runs for from the north ...

(US 191) in the city of

Bozeman Bozeman is a city and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. Located in southwest Montana, the 2020 census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it the fourth-largest city in Montana. It is the principal city of th ...

and the northern terminus is at an intersection with US 89 north of the town of Wilsall. Much of the route follows the eastern flank of the Bridger Mountains, and the road provides access to the

Bridger Bowl Bridger Bowl is a ski area in the Western United States, western United States, near Bozeman, Montana, Bozeman, Montana. It serves the local population of Gallatin County, Montana, Gallatin County, including Montana State University-Bozeman, Mont ...

ski resort. Before receiving its current designation, Highway 86 was designated as Montana Secondary Highway 293.

Route description

MT 86 begins at the intersection of Rouse Avenue and East Main Street, which carries US 191, in downtown

. It heads north on Rouse along a two-lane street through a residential area. In the northern part of town, MT 86 crosses the

Montana Rail Link Montana Rail Link is a privately held Class II railroad in the United States. It operates on trackage originally built by the Northern Pacific Railway and leased from its successor BNSF. MRL is a unit of The Washington Companies and is he ...

while simultaneously passing beneath

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...

. The highway turns to the east and leaves the city; it skirts the southern edge of the

Bridger Range The Bridger Range, also known as the Bridger Mountains, is a subrange of the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Montana in the United States. The range runs mostly in a north–south direction between Bozeman and Maudlow. It is separated from the ...

. It passes beneath the "College M", a limestone majuscule M built into the side of Old Baldy within sight of Bozeman and

Montana State University Montana State University (MSU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 6 ...

. The highway curves around the eastern flank of the mountain range and follows a northerly path. MT 86 travels through mountainous terrain. Coniferous trees line either side of the road's right-of-way. It passes the

Bridger Bowl Ski Area Bridger Bowl is a ski area in the western United States, near Bozeman, Montana. It serves the local population of Gallatin County, including Montana State University. The summit elevation is above sea level, with a vertical drop of on east-fac ...

, which lies to the west. Shortly thereafter, it meets Brackett Creek Road, which roughly marks the halfway point of the route. The forest surrounding the highway yields to grassland and the terrain levels somewhat as the road turns to the north-northeast near Sedan. The highway takes a sharp curve to the east and then angles to the northeast. The road ends at US 89 a few miles north of Wilsall.

Major intersections

References

086 Area codes 084 and 086 are Nigerian telephone area codes serving the cities of Port Harcourt and Ahoada in Rivers State. They fall under the Southeast Zone in the National Numbering Plan (NNP) restructured in 2003. When in Port Harcourt or Ahoad ...

Transportation in Gallatin County, Montana Transportation in Park County, Montana {{Montana-road-stub