U.S. Route 287 (US 287) is a north–south (physically northwest–southeast)

United States highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these hi ...

. At long, it is the second longest three-digit U.S. Route, behind US 281. It serves as the major truck route between Fort Worth and

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Potter County. It is the 14th-most populous city in Texas and the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. A portion of the city extends into Randall County ...

, and between Fort Collins, Colorado, and

Laramie, Wyoming Laramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was estimated 32,711 in 2019, making it the third-largest city in Wyoming after Cheyenne and Casper. Located on the Laramie River in southeast ...

. The highway is broken into two segments by

Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowst ...

, where an unnumbered park road serves as a connector. The highway's northern terminus is in

Choteau, Montana Choteau is a city in and the county seat of Teton County, Montana, United States. It lies along U.S. Routes 89 and 287, (the latter terminating at the former in this city) approximately east of the Rocky Mountains, near Flathead National F ...

, south of the

Canadian border Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

, at an intersection with US 89. Its southern terminus (as well as those of US 69 and US 96) is in Port Arthur, Texas at an intersection with State Highway 87 (SH 87), up the Sabine River from the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

. It intersects its parent route US 87 twice, overlapping it from

Amarillo Amarillo ( ; Spanish for " yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Potter County. It is the 14th-most populous city in Texas and the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. A portion of the city extends into Randall Cou ...

Dumas, Texas Dumas ( ) is a city in Moore County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,501 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Moore County. Located about 40 miles north of Amarillo, the city is named for its founder, Louis Dumas (1856–1923) ...

, and then crossing it in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. US 287 is the shortest route between Denver and

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

- Fort Worth.

Route description

Texas

US 287 originates at its southern terminus in Port Arthur as a branch of SH 87. From Port Arthur, US 287 runs concurrently with US 69 and US 96 to Lumberton, where US 96 diverges to the northeast and the co-signed US 287/US 69 continues northwesterly until US 287 and US 69 diverge in Woodville. Continuing northwesterly, US 287 merges with

Interstate 45 Interstate 45 (I-45) is a major Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Texas. While most Interstate routes which have numbers ending in "5" are cross-country north–south routes, I-45 is comparatively short, with the ...

(I-45) in Corsicana and follows the Interstate to Ennis, where it branches off and continues through

Waxahachie Waxahachie ( ) is the seat of government of Ellis County, Texas, United States. Its population was 41,140 in 2020. Etymology Some sources state that the name means "cow" or "buffalo" in an unspecified Native American language. One possible ...

, crossing

I-35E Interstate 35E may refer to: *Interstate 35E (Texas), a long branch route serving Dallas, Texas *Interstate 35E (Minnesota), a long branch route serving St. Paul, Minnesota See also * Interstate 35W (disambiguation) Interstate 35W may refer to: * ...

and continuing north through

Tarrant County Tarrant County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2020, it had a population of 2,110,640. It is Texas' third-most populous county and the 15th-most populous in the United States. Its county seat is Fort Worth. Tarrant County, one of 2 ...

, where it encounters and briefly merges with three different Interstates ( I-820, I-20, and

I-35W Interstate 35W may refer to: * Interstate 35W (Texas), an Interstate highway serving Fort Worth, Texas, and its suburbs * Interstate 35W (Minnesota), a Interstate highway serving Minneapolis, Minnesota, and its suburbs **The I-35W Mississippi Riv ...

). From Fort Worth, US 287 continues north to

Wichita Falls Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the seat of government of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. According ...

and continues just south of the Oklahoma border before entering the

Texas Panhandle The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a square-shaped area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east. It is adjacent to ...

. A section of US 287, between Midlothian and

, was dedicated as the Chris Kyle Memorial Highway, in honor of fallen SEAL

Chris Kyle Christopher Scott Kyle (April 8, 1974 – February 2, 2013) was a United States Navy SEAL sniper. He served four tours in the Iraq War and was awarded several commendations for acts of heroism and meritorious service in combat. He has over 150 c ...

, whose hometown was Midlothian. The highway continues through

, where it intersects

I-40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...

, and then runs north to Kerrick and crosses into neighboring Oklahoma.

Oklahoma

In Oklahoma, US 287 remains within Cimarron County, located at the end of the Panhandle. After crossing the state line north of Kerrick, Texas, the highway intersects SH 171 at its southern terminus. US 287 continues northwesterly, crossing the Beaver River, toward Boise City, the county seat. On the east side of town, the highway formerly ran concurrently with US 56, US 64, US 412, and SH 3. These five highways then entered the traffic circle in downtown Boise City. US 287 emerged from the north side of the circle, as well as US 385 and SH 3. Now US 287 bypasses town to the east. These three highways (US 287, US 385, SH 3) head north to the Colorado state line. SH 3 ends there, while US 287 and US 385 continue onward into

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 ...

Colorado

From Oklahoma, US 287 and US 385 enter into a very rural part of Colorado. They continue in a north/northwest direction through the state. The two highways pass through the town of Campo, and make an interchange with US 160 on the outskirts of Springfield. In Lamar and Carlton, the highways make an interchange with US 50. Here US 385 heads east on US 50, and US 287/US 50 continue to the north. Just outside the town the highways make a sharp turn toward the west, and the road heading north is SH 196. South of

Wiley Wiley may refer to: Locations * Wiley, Colorado, a U.S. town * Wiley, Pleasants County, West Virginia, U.S. * Wiley-Kaserne, a district of the city of Neu-Ulm, Germany People * Wiley (musician), British grime MC, rapper, and producer * Wiley Mil ...

, US 50 heads west, while US 287 turns north toward Wiley. East of Eads, US 287 turns toward the west again, briefly merging with SH 96. In Eads, SH 96 continues toward the west, while US 287 turns toward the north. Near

Kit Carson Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman. He was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and U.S. Army officer. He became a frontier legend in his own lifetime by biographies and ...

, US 287 again turns toward the west and merges with US 40. Near Limon, the two highways make two interchanges with

I-70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the c ...

before passing through Limon. Then the two highways merge with I-70. Near the outskirts of

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

US 36 merges with the group of highways making the road, I-70/US 287/US 36/US 40. Just past E-470, I-70 and US 36 split to follow a more northerly course, while US 287 and US 40 continue west into Downtown Denver on

Colfax Avenue Colfax Avenue is the main street that runs east–west through the Denver metropolitan area in Colorado. As U.S. Highway 40, it was one of two principal highways serving Denver before the Interstate Highway System was constructed. In the local ...

. The I-25, US 6, US 87, and US 85 interchange marks US 287's second junction with its parent route, US 87; the other is in Texas. Shortly thereafter, at a cloverleaf interchange with Federal Boulevard, SH 88 runs south, US 40 continues west on Colfax, and US 287 turns toward the north on Federal Boulevard. After crossing US 36 (Denver–Boulder Turnpike), US 287 turns west onto 120th Avenue where it overlaps SH 128. Just before meeting US 36 again in Broomfield, US 287 bends back to the north, leaving SH 128 which continues west through an interchange with SH 121 and US 36. At Baseline Road in

Lafayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...

, SH 7 joins US 287 for about a mile, before SH 7 splits to the west on Arapahoe Avenue towards Boulder. It intersects SH 119 as it enters

Longmont The City of Longmont is a home rule municipality located in Boulder and Weld counties, Colorado, United States. Longmont is located northeast of the county seat of Boulder and north-northwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. Longmont' ...

on Main Street, and then it intersects SH 66 at the north edge of town. In 2021 the Colorado State Senate Joint Resolution 21-018 designated the section of U.S. 287 between SH 66 in

and SH 402 in Loveland as the SPC Gabriel David Conde Memorial highway. Gabriel Conde was a Berthoud High School graduate and a student at the Colorado School of Mines who joined the U.S. Army in 2015. He was killed in action in Afghanistan in April 2018. The road bypasses Berthoud en route to Loveland, where US 287 splits into the pair of one-way streets Lincoln Avenue (northbound) and Cleveland Avenue (southbound). It then divides the Loveland cemetery. This is the only cemetery in the US with a US Highway dividing it. Continuing north, US 287 passes through

Fort Collins A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

on College Avenue, merging with SH 14 at Jefferson Street. On the edge of the mountains at Ted's Place, SH 14 splits and heads west into

Poudre Canyon The Poudre Canyon is a narrow verdant canyon, approximately 40 mi (64 km) long, on the upper Cache la Poudre River (called the "Poudre" for short, which locals pronounce as "Pooder") in Larimer County, Colorado in the United States. Th ...

, while US 287 continues north into Wyoming. The section of US 287 between Fort Collins and

, carries very heavy truck traffic and is regarded as quite dangerous.

Wyoming

US 287 enters Wyoming through a pass between the Laramie Mountains to the east and the Medicine Bow Mountains to the west. In Laramie, US 287 crosses

I-80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...

and merges with US 30 and the two highways continue to head north. After passing Medicine Bow, these highways turn west-southwest and return to I-80 near Walcott, where they merge with the interstate west until Rawlins. US 287 branches off from I-80 and US 30 and heads into the town. US 287 merges with Wyoming Highway 76 (WYO 76), WYO 82, and WYO 30 for a short distance just outside Rawlins, though WYO 76 ends when US 287 branches to the northwest as a stand-alone highway. It is also possible to take Business US 287 (WYO 80, WYO 30) into Rawlins. In Downtown Rawlins, WYO 80 and WYO 30 head toward the west while Business US 287 heads to the north, merging with WYO 789 where WYO 30 and WYO 80 split off the highway. A short while later Business US 287 and WYO 789 merge with mainline US 287, which made a detour around the city. US 287 and WYO 789 stay merged all the way to Lander, where WYO 789 heads toward the northeast and US 287 heads toward the northwest. US 287 merges with US 26 in the very mountainous terrain of West Central Wyoming, and the two highways head west. The highways enter

Grand Teton National Park Grand Teton National Park is an American national park in northwestern Wyoming. At approximately , the park includes the major peaks of the Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. Grand Teton ...

. In Moran, US 287 and US 26 meet US 191 and US 89. US 26 heads south merging with US 191 and US 89. US 287 heads north merging with US 191 and US 89, passing through the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway before ending at the South Entrance of

. While US 287 and other U.S. Routes are officially discontinuous through the park, some commercially produced maps show these highways running inside Yellowstone National Park itself along its unnumbered roads and across the Wyoming–Montana state line.

Montana

US 287 in Montana begins at the West Entrance of Yellowstone National Park in West Yellowstone, terminating a concurrency with US 20. US 287 and US 191 split north of the town. US 287 heads toward the northwest, merging with Montana Highway 2 (MT 2) north of

Sappington Sappington is an unincorporated census-designated place in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7,995 at the 2020 census. History Sappington was named for a family of pioneer settlers. After Daniel Boone settled in moder ...

, and running northeast. At I-90, MT 2 ends and US 287 continues to head north. In

Townsend Townsend (pronounced tounʹ-zənd) or Townshend may refer to: Places United States *Camp Townsend, National Guard training base in Peekskill, New York *Townsend, Delaware *Townsend, Georgia *Townsend, Massachusetts, a New England town ** Townsend ...

, US 287 merges with US 12 and the two highways continue north. At I-15 (near Helena), US 287 continues north on I-15 and US 12 heads west through downtown Helena. Northeast of Wolf Creek, US 287 and I-15 split with US 287 heading northwest and I-15 heading northeast. US 287 ends at US 89 in Choteau.

History

When US 287 was first commissioned in 1939, it extended only from the south entrance of

. The route was extended southward to the

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coast, coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The list of U.S. states and territories by coastline, coastal states that have a shor ...

at Port Arthur, Texas in 1940, and northward into Montana to US 89 at Choteau, Montana in 1965. US 89 continues north of Choteau into

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

as Highway 2 through the major cities of Calgary and

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, connecting with a Canadian link to the Alaska Highway in the latter. Included in the route of US 287 is former US 370, which was commissioned in 1926 and connected

to Bowie, traveling concurrently with US 70 between Vernon and

Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the seat of government of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. Accord ...

. The Canada to Gulf Highway Association, which later became the U.S. Highway 287 Association, was active from the 1910s until the 1970s to promote US 287 as a popular tourist route, and was composed of members from businesses and organizations in cities along the route. The Wyoming state transportation department started widening US 287 in 2009.

Future

In 2017, House Bill 2026 (HB 2026) was filed in the

Texas Legislature The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the US state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a powerful ar ...

to provide funding for a study on upgrading US 287 in Texas to an Interstate highway, with the eventual goal of designating US 287 as an Interstate from Beaumont, Texas, to the Canadian border in Montana. HB 2026 later died in committee. On April 22, 2021, the Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a Bill that would rename the part of the Highway in the State after the 45th U.S. President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

. As of April, 2021 it was in discussion in the

State Senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

Major intersections

Southern segment :Texas :: in Port Arthur :: in Port Arthur. US 69/US 287 travels concurrently to Woodville. US 96/US 287 travels concurrently to south of Lumberton. :: in

Beaumont Beaumont may refer to: Places Canada * Beaumont, Alberta * Beaumont, Quebec England * Beaumont, Cumbria * Beaumont, Essex ** Beaumont Cut, a canal closed in the 1930s * Beaumont Street, Oxford France (communes) * Beaumont, Ardèche * ...

. The highways travel concurrently through Beaumont. :: in Beaumont :: in Woodville :: in Corrigan :: in Palestine. The highways travel concurrently through Palestine. :: in Palestine :: in Corsicana. The highways travel concurrently to Ennis. :: in

:: in Waxahachie :: in Midlothian :: in Arlington. The highways travel concurrently to Fort Worth. :: in Fort Worth. I-820/US 287 travels concurrently through Fort Worth. :: in Fort Worth :: in Fort Worth. The highways travel concurrently through Fort Worth. :: in Fort Worth :: in Fort Worth. US 81/US 287 travels concurrently to Bowie. :: in Decatur :: west of

Henrietta Henrietta may refer to: * Henrietta (given name), a feminine given name, derived from the male name Henry Places * Henrietta Island in the Arctic Ocean * Henrietta, Mauritius * Henrietta, Tasmania, a locality in Australia United States * Henrie ...

. The highways travel concurrently to

. :: in Wichita Falls. The highways travel concurrently through Wichita Falls. :: in Wichita Falls. US 277/US 287 travels concurrently through Wichita Falls. :: in Wichita Falls. The highways travel concurrently through Wichita Falls. :: in Oklaunion. The highways travel concurrently to Vernon. :: in Vernon :: in Childress :: in

. The highways travel concurrently through Amarillo. :: in Amarillo. US 60/US 287 travels concurrently through Amarillo. :: in Amarillo. The highways travel concurrently to Dumas. :: in Stratford :Oklahoma :: east of Boise City :: north of Boise City. The highways travel concurrently to

Lamar, Colorado Lamar is the home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Prowers County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 7,804 at the 2010 United States Census. The city was named after Confederate ...

. :Colorado :: south of Springfield :: in Lamar. US 50/US 287 travels concurrently to south of

. :: east of

. The highways travel concurrently to

. :: east-southeast of Limon. US 24/US 287 travels concurrently to west of Limon. :: in Limon :: in Limon. The highways travel concurrently to

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

. :: in Byers. The highways travel concurrently to Aurora. :: in Aurora :: in Denver :: in Denver :: in Berkley :: in

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

:: in Loveland :Wyoming :: in Laramie :: in Laramie. The highways travel concurrently to east of Rawlins. :: south-southeast of Walcott. The highways travel concurrently to east of Rawlins. :: west-northwest of

Morton Morton may refer to: People * Morton (surname) * Morton (given name) Fictional * Morton Koopa, Jr., a character and boss in ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' * A character in the ''Charlie and Lola'' franchise * A character in the 2008 film '' Horton H ...

. The highways travel concurrently to Moran. :: in Moran. US 89/US 191/US 287 travels concurrently to the South Entrance to

. ;Yellowstone National Park segment (unofficial designation) :: travels concurrently from the park's South Entrance to north-northwest of West Thumb. :: travels concurrently from the park's South Entrance to the park's West Entrance. :: in West Thumb. US 20/US 191 travels concurrently to the park's West Entrance. ;Northern segment :;Montana :: from the West Entrance to Yellowstone National Park; the highways travel concurrently to West Yellowstone. :: northwest of Three Forks :: in

. The highways travel concurrently to Helena. :: in Helena. I-15/US 287 travels concurrently to northeast of Wolf Creek. :: in Choteau

References

External links

Endpoints of US Highway 287
{{DEFAULTSORT:87-2 United States Numbered Highway System 287 U.S. Highways in Wyoming 1935 establishments in the United States