U.S. Route 36 (US 36) is an east–west United States highway that travels approximately from

Rocky Mountain National Park Rocky Mountain National Park is an American national park located approximately northwest of Denver in north-central Colorado, within the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The park is situated between the towns of Estes Park to the east and ...

, Colorado to Uhrichsville, Ohio. The highway's western terminus is at Deer Ridge Junction, an intersection in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, where it meets US 34. Its eastern terminus is at US 250 in Uhrichsville, Ohio.

Route description

Colorado

US Route 36 begins at US 34 at Deer Ridge Junction in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, just west of

Estes Park Estes Park is a statutory town in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 5,904 at the 2020 United States Census. Estes Park is a part of the Fort Collins, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Corr ...

. It then passes through

Boulder In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In c ...

and Denver on its way to Kansas. Between Boulder and Denver, the road that is now US 36 was originally built as the ''Denver-Boulder Turnpike''. It serves today as a major arterial freeway in the Front Range Urban Corridor. Between Denver and Byers, US 36 exists in unsigned overlaps with

I-270 I-270 may refer to: * Interstate 270 (disambiguation), one of several highways * Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270 The Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270 (Design Ж ("Zh") under Mikoyan-Gurevich's in-house designation sequence, USAF/DoD designation: Type 12) was a ...

and I-70, while some parts of its original route are signed separately as Colorado State Highway 36. After it diverges from I-70 in Byers, US 36 is a relatively lightly-traveled two-lane rural highway to the Kansas state line.

Kansas

US-36 passes through all 13 counties in Kansas which border Nebraska. The highway enters the Sunflower State from Colorado in Cheyenne County, and leaves the state by crossing the Missouri River on the

Pony Express Bridge The Pony Express Bridge is a highway girder bridge over the Missouri River connecting Elwood, Kansas with St. Joseph, Missouri on U.S. Route 36 (US 36). The bridge is referred to in signage as Pony Express Bridges because there are ...

s entering Missouri. The section of US-36 from

Washington, Kansas Washington is a city in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,071. History Washington was established in spring 1860, and in the same year named county seat. ...

St. Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri. Small parts of St. Joseph extend into Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includ ...

is officially called the ''Pony Express Highway'' because it marks the starting section of the Pony Express. It crosses the Missouri River on the

s. From the western junction with K-383 to the Missouri state line, US-36 is part of the National Highway System. Except for wider sections in towns and passing lanes on hills, US-36 through Kansas is mostly a two-lane surface road. However some of the principal intersections all along the road are grade-separated diamond interchanges. From the Little Blue River just west of the K-148 junction to the

US-77 U.S. Route 77 (US 77) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway which extends for in the central United States. As of 2005, Its southern terminus is in Brownsville, Texas, at Veteran's International Bridge on the Mexican border, wh ...

North junction just west of the Big Blue River at Marysville, US-36 is a four-lane divided surface highway. From Hiawatha to west of Wathena, the road is a two-lane freeway. After passing through Wathena as a surface street (Riverside High School in Wathena fronts the westbound lanes), it becomes a four-lane freeway to the Missouri state line.

Missouri

US 36 across Missouri is a four-lane

expressway Expressway may refer to: * Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic. * Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road. *Expressway, the fictional s ...

with some freeway sections, passing through or near

St. Joseph Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers ...

Cameron Cameron may refer to: People * Clan Cameron, a Scottish clan * Cameron (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Cameron (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) ;Mononym * Cam'ron (born 197 ...

, Chillicothe,

Brookfield Brookfield may refer to: Australia *Brookfield, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane *Brookfield, Victoria Canada * Brookfield, Manitoba, on Manitoba Highway 11 *Brookfield, Newfoundland and Labrador *Brookfield, Nova Scotia *Brookfield, Ontario ...

, Macon, Monroe City and

Hannibal Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Puni ...

. Between

I-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 ...

in Cameron and the Illinois state line, it forms part of the principal route between

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

and Chicago.

Illinois

In the state of Illinois, U.S. 36 runs concurrently with much of Interstate 72. It enters from Missouri across the Mississippi River on the

Mark Twain Memorial Bridge The Mark Twain Memorial Bridge is a bridge over the Mississippi River at Hannibal, Missouri, childhood home of Mark Twain, for whom the bridge is named. The bridge, north of the original bridge, was finished in 2000. The bridge carries traffi ...

, and runs east, crossing Interstate 55 in

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

. At the U.S. Route 51 bypass in Decatur, U.S. 36 leaves I-72 and runs due east through downtown Decatur. U.S. 36 then continues east, through Tuscola and several smaller communities, to the Indiana border.

Indiana

US 36 enters Indiana near Dana in Vermillion County. It then passes through the towns of Montezuma, Rockville, Bainbridge, Danville, and Avon before approaching

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

. US 36 then joins I-465, traveling around the south side of the city (counter-clockwise in the eastbound direction). East of the city, US 36 exits onto Pendleton Pike and travels northeast. It passes through Lawrence, McCordsville, and Fortville before passing around the east side of

Pendleton Pendleton may refer to: Places ;United Kingdom *Pendleton, Lancashire, England *Pendleton, Greater Manchester, England ;United States *Pendleton, Indiana * Pendleton, Missouri *Pendleton, New York *Pendleton, Oregon *Pendleton, South Carolina *Pe ...

, where the route turns east. The route then travels mostly in a straight line, passing through Sulphur Springs, Losantville,

Modoc Modoc may refer to: Ethnic groups *Modoc people, a Native American/First Nations people ** Modoc language **Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma, a federally recognized tribe of Modoc *Modoc War, the last armed resistance of the Modoc people in 1873 *The "Mo ...

, and

Lynn Lynn may refer to: People and fictional characters * Lynn (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Lynn (surname) * The Lynns, a 1990s American country music duo consisting of twin sisters Peggy and Patsy Lynn * Lynn ( ...

before entering Ohio. The former routing through Indianapolis consisted of Rockville Road, Washington Street, West Street/Michigan Road (the latter once Northwestern Avenue, now Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Street), 38th Street, and Pendleton Pike.

Ohio

US 36 enters Ohio in

Darke County Darke County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,881. Its county seat is Greenville. The county was created in 1809 and later organized in 1817. It is named for William Darke, an officer in the ...

near the small village of

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

, after which it passes through Darke, Miami, Champaign, Union, Delaware, Knox, and Coshocton counties before reaching its terminus at

Uhrichsville Uhrichsville( ) is a city in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,413 at the 2010 census. Claymont City School District is the major education provider for the city of Uhrichsville and for the village of Dennison, Ohio. The ...

Tuscarawas County Tuscarawas County ( ) is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 93,263. Its county seat is New Philadelphia. Its name is a Delaware Indian word variously translated as "ol ...

. It travels concurrent with US 127 in Greenville for about . Within the state, US 36 is classified as 83.1% rural and 16.9% urban with only coded as freeway (out of total). It also travels concurrent with US 33 in Marysville for about . The Birthplace of Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President of the United States, 17 E. William St., Delaware, is on the north side of US 36, approximately west of the US 23 overpass. The home was demolished in 1926 and the location is marked with a historical monument.

Major intersections

;Colorado : in Deer Ridge Junction : in

: in Westminster : on the Sherrelwood– Twin Lakes– Welby line. I-270/US 36 travels concurrently to Denver. : in Welby : in

Commerce City The City of Commerce City is a home rule municipality located in Adams County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 62,418 at the 2020 United States Census, a 35.95% increase since the 2010 United States Census. Commerce City is the ...

: in Denver. I-70/US 36 travels concurrently to Byers. : on the Denver– Aurora city line : in Aurora. The highways travel concurrently to Byers. : east of Idalia. The highways travel concurrently to northeast of Idalia. ;Kansas : in

Oberlin Oberlin may refer to: ; Places in the United States * Oberlin Township, Decatur County, Kansas ** Oberlin, Kansas, a city in the township * Oberlin, Louisiana, a town * Oberlin, Ohio, a city * Oberlin, Licking County, Ohio, a ghost town * Oberlin, ...

: in Norton : in Phillipsburg. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Smith Center. The highways travel concurrently to south of Lebanon. : in Belleville : in Marysville. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : west of Fairview : in Hiawatha ;Missouri : in

: in St. Joseph : in St. Joseph : in

: in Cameron : in Chillicothe : in Macon : in Monroe City. The highways travel concurrently to Miller Township. : in

. I-72/US 36 travel concurrently to

Harristown, Illinois Harristown is a village in Macon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,310 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Decatur, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The village was named in honor of Major Thomas L. Harr ...

. ;Illinois : in Levee Township : in Griggsville Township : southwest of Jacksonville : in

. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Harristown : in Tuscola Township : in Tuscola : on the

Edgar Edgar is a commonly used English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Eadgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and ''gar'' "spear"). Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the later medieval period; it was, however, rev ...

–

Ross Ross or ROSS may refer to: People * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan * Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland Places * RoSS, the Republic of Sou ...

township line ;Indiana : in Rockville : in Monroe Township : in

. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Indianapolis. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Indianapolis : in Indianapolis. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Indianapolis : in Indianapolis. US 36/US 421 travels concurrently through the city. : in Indianapolis. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Indianapolis : in Indianapolis : in Union Township : in

;Ohio : in Neave Township. The highways travel concurrently to Greenville. : in Piqua : in

Urbana __NOTOC__ Urbana can refer to: Places Italy *Urbana, Italy United States *Urbana, Illinois **Urbana (conference), a Christian conference formerly held in Urbana, Illinois *Urbana, Indiana * Urbana, Iowa *Urbana, Kansas * Urbana, Maryland *Urbana, ...

: in Paris Township. The highways travel concurrently to Marysville. : in Delaware : in Berkshire Township : in Union Township : in Salem Township : in

References

External links

U.S. 36 Highway Association

Illinois Highway Ends: US 36

Indiana Highway Ends: US 36
{{DEFAULTSORT:36 United States Numbered Highway System U.S. Highways in Ohio