Minnesota State Highway 18 (MN 18) is a

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...

in east-central

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, which runs from its intersection with State Highway 25 in Brainerd and continues east to its eastern terminus at its intersection with

State Highway 23 Route 23, or Highway 23, can refer to: International * European route E23 Australia * Federal Highway (Australia) * Monaro Highway * (South Australia) * Dorat Road (not signed everywhere) Austria * Autobahn Südosttangente Wien Canada * Albe ...

in Finlayson Township near

Askov Askov is a city in Pine County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 364 at the 2010 census. Minnesota State Highway 23 serves as a main route in the community, and Interstate 35 is nearby. History The village was originally within ...

and

Sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

. The eastern terminus of Highway 18 is less than 1/2 mile west of an interchange with

Interstate Highway 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...

along Highway 23. For part of its route (5 miles), Highway 18 runs

concurrent Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

with U.S. Highway 169 in Crow Wing and Aitkin counties around the northwest side of

Mille Lacs Lake Mille Lacs Lake (also called Lake Mille Lacs or Mille Lacs) is a large but shallow lake in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is located in the counties of Mille Lacs, Aitkin, and Crow Wing, roughly 75 miles north of the Minneapolis-St. Paul m ...

. Highway 18 also runs together with State Highway 47 for in Aitkin and Mille Lacs counties around the northeast side of Mille Lacs Lake.

Route description

State Highway 18 serves as an east–west route between Brainerd,

Garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

, and Finlayson in east-central Minnesota. The route passes around the north end of

, which is a popular fishing and recreational destination in Minnesota. The section of Highway 18 from Brainerd to

is officially designated the ''POW / MIA Memorial Highway''. A section of U.S. Highway 169 in Minnesota also takes on this same memorial name designation. Highway 18 passes through the Wealthwood State Forest in

Aitkin County Aitkin County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,697. Its county seat is Aitkin. Part of the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation is in the county. The county was created in 1857 and organized ...

. Banning State Park is located east of the

junction Junction may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Junction'' (film), a 2012 American film * Jjunction, a 2002 Indian film * Junction (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille * Junction (EP), by Basement Jaxx, 2002 * Junction (manga), or ''Hot ...

of Highways 18 and 23; opposite the I-35 freeway near

and

History

The section of State Highway 18 between Brainerd and U.S. 169 at

was authorized on November 2, 1920. The remainder of the route was authorized in 1933 and 1963. From 1933 until the mid-1950s, the eastern terminus of Highway 18 was at the present day

of State Highway 27 and State Highway 47 (then ''State Highway 56'') at Isle. Before 1963, the present day section of Highway 18 between State Highway 47 and State Highway 65 was originally numbered as State Highway 27; and the present day section of Highway 18 between State Highway 65 and

(near

) was originally numbered as ''State Highway 66'' (essentially east of

). By 1940, the only paved section of Highway 18 was between Brainerd and

. The last unpaved section of Highway 18 was east of State Highway 47 to State Highway 65, paved in the late 1960s. At one time, Highway 18 had continued farther west of State Highway 25 in Brainerd. This section was turned back to the city of Brainerd maintenance in 2001 after completion of the nearby Highway 371 Brainerd bypass.

Major intersections

References

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