U.S. Highway 87 (US 87) is a north–south United States highway (though it is signed east–west in New Mexico) that runs for 1,998 miles (3,215 km) from northern Montana to southern Texas, making it the longest north-south road to not have a "1" in its number and the third longest north-south road in the country, behind U.S. 41 and

U.S. 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, ...

. Most of the portion from Billings, Montana to Raton, New Mexico is co-signed along Interstates 90 and 25. It is also co-signed along the majority of Interstate 27 in Texas. As of 2004, the highway's northern terminus is in Havre, Montana, at

U.S. Highway 2 U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern Canada. Unlike some routes, whi ...

. Its southern terminus is in Port Lavaca, Texas.

Route description

Texas

In Texas, US 87 is a north–south highway that begins near the Gulf Coast in Port Lavaca, Texas and heads north through San Antonio, Lubbock, Amarillo, and

Dalhart Dalhart is a city in Dallam and Hartley counties in the U.S. state of Texas, and the county seat of Dallam County. The population was 7,930 at the 2010 census. History Founded in 1901, Dalhart is named for its location on the border of Dalla ...

to the New Mexico border near Texline.

New Mexico

US 87 continues in a northwesterly direction in New Mexico, and is signed by NMDOT primarily as an east–west route. It merges with US 64 (and thus the Santa Fe Trail National Scenic Byway) in Clayton, shortly after entering New Mexico. It continues to the northwest until

Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

, when it takes a more westerly approach to Raton. In Raton, it separates from US 64 and merges with

Interstate 25 Interstate 25 (I-25) is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States. It is primarily a north–south highway, serving as the main route through New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. I-25 stretches from I-10 at Las Cruces, New Mexic ...

and

US-85 U.S. Route 85 (US 85) is a north–south United States Highway that travels in the Mountain and Northern Plains states of the United States. The southern terminus of the highway is at the Mexican border in El Paso, Texas, connecting wi ...

, with which it remains concurrent through Raton Pass and into Colorado, though it is unsigned on much of the concurrency.

Colorado

US 87 remains concurrent with

throughout the state of Colorado, which is a rare occurrence for a US highway to have a concurrency with an Interstate in its entirety within state boundaries.

Wyoming

US 87 remains concurrent with Interstate 25 northward until exit 160 east of Glenrock where it joins

US Route 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. ...

US Route 26 U.S. Route 26 (US 26) is an east–west United States highway that runs from Seaside, Oregon to Ogallala, Nebraska. When the U.S. highway system was first defined, it was limited to Nebraska and Wyoming; by the 1950s, it continued into Idaho and ...

from Glenrock to Casper. In Casper it splits from US-20/26 and rejoins I-25 at exit 186. It then remains concurrent with Interstate 25 northward until its terminus with

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 ...

. It then follows I-90 west to exit 44 where it runs up to Sheridan. A portion of US-87 has been washed out for several years along this stretch and "temporary" detour signs are posted directing US-87 traffic along

Wyoming Highway 193 Wyoming Highway 193 (WYO 193) is a north–south Wyoming State Road that runs through southern Sheridan County, Wyoming, Sheridan County and the extreme northern part of Johnson County, Wyoming, Johnson County and serves the community of Stor ...

through Story. In Sheridan US-87 rejoins Interstate 90 into Montana.

Montana

US 87 remains concurrent with Interstate 90 westward until Billings, where it breaks off and heads north. Between Crow Agency and Billings, US 87 and I-90 are merged with

US 212 U.S. Route 212 (US 212) is a spur of US 12. It runs for from Yellowstone National Park to Minnesota Highway 62 at Edina, Minnesota. It does not intersect US 12 now, but it once had an eastern terminus at US 12 in St. Paul, Minnesot ...

. It intersects with (and briefly merges with) US 12 in

Roundup A roundup is a systematic gathering together of people or things. Roundup, Round Up or Round-up may also refer to: Agriculture * A muster (livestock) (AU/NZ) or a roundup (US/CA) is the process of gathering livestock. * Roundup (herbicide), a M ...

and continues north with a slight bend to the northwest until, at Grass Range it takes a sharp turn to the west at an intersection with Montana State Highway 200. US 87 remains concurrent with Montana State Highway 200 until Great Falls. In Lewistown, it merges with US 191 and remains heading generally west. Some ten miles (16 km) out of Lewistown, it breaks with US 191 and merges with Montana State Highway 3, heading generally northwest and merging briefly with US 89 before breaking with all three in

Great Falls Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

. US 87 heads northeast then east to Fort Benton and then generally northeast to its terminus with US 2 about two miles (3 km) west of Havre.

History

US 87 originally ran northwest out of

Great Falls, Montana Great Falls is the third most populous city in the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Cascade County. The population was 60,442 according to the 2020 census. The city covers an area of and is the principal city of the Great Falls, M ...

towards the eastern border of Glacier National Park. US 87 ran to the Canadian Border at the Piegan Border Crossing. This was changed in 1934, when US Route 89 was diverted to US 87's routing to Glacier Park. US 87 ended in Great Falls until circa 1945 when it was extended to its current northern terminus in Havre, Montana. U.S. Route 185 was formed in 1926, and extended from US 85 in Cheyenne north to

Orin ORiN (Open Robot/Resource interface for the Network) is a standard network interface for FA (factory automation) systems. The Japan Robot Association proposed ORiN in 2002, and the ORiN Forum develops and maintains the ORiN standard. Background ...

. It became part of a southern extension and realignment of US 87 in 1936.

Major intersections

;Texas : in

Port Lavaca Port Lavaca () is a city in Calhoun County, located in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 12,248 at the 2010 census and 11,557 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Calhoun County and part of the Victoria, Texas Metropolitan Statis ...

: in Victoria : in Victoria : in

Cuero Cuero ( ) is a city in and the county seat of DeWitt County, Texas, United States. Its population was 8,128 at the 2020 census. History The city of Cuero had its start in the mid-19th century as a stopping point on the Chisholm Trail cattle route ...

. The highways travel concurrently to southwest of Cuero. : in San Antonio : in San Antonio. I-10/US 87 travels concurrently to Comfort. US 87/US 90 travels concurrently through San Antonio. : in San Antonio : in San Antonio. I-35/US 87 travels concurrently through San Antonio. : on the

Balcones Heights Balcones Heights is a city in Bexar County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,746 at the 2020 census, and it was incorporated in 1948. Balcones Heights is an enclave of San Antonio, surrounded entirely by the city, thus some residents and ...

–San Antonio city line : in Fredericksburg. The highways travel concurrently through Fredericksburg. : northwest of

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

. The highways travel concurrently to Brady. : in Brady. The highways travel concurrently to Brady. : northwest of Brady : in

Eden Eden may refer to: * Garden of Eden, the "garden of God" described in the Book of Genesis Places and jurisdictions Canada * Eden, Ontario * Eden High School Middle East * Eden, Lebanon, a city and former bishopric * Camp Eden, Iraq O ...

: in San Angelo. The highways travel concurrently through San Angelo. : in San Angelo : in Big Spring : south of Los Ybanez. The highways travel concurrently to Lamesa. : in Tahoka : in Lubbock. The highways travel concurrently to south of Kress. : in Lubbock : in Lubbock : in Lubbock : in Plainview : north-northwest of Tulia. The highways travel concurrently to south-southeast of

Happy Happiness, in the context of mental or emotional states, is positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishing and eudaimonia. Sinc ...

. : in

Canyon A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...

. The highways travel concurrently to Amarillo. : north of Canyon. The highways travel concurrently to Amarillo. : in Amarillo. US 87/US 287 travels concurrently through Amarillo. : in Amarillo : in Amarillo. The highways travel concurrently to Dumas. : in

Hartley Hartley may refer to: Places Australia *Hartley, New South Wales *Hartley, South Australia **Electoral district of Hartley, a state electoral district Canada *Hartley Bay, British Columbia United Kingdom *Hartley, Cumbria *Hartley, Plymou ...

. The highways travel concurrently to

. : in Dalhart ;New Mexico : in Clayton. US 64/US 87 travels concurrently to Raton. : in Raton. I-25/US 87 travels concurrently to southeast of Glenrock, Wyoming. US 85/US 87 travels concurrently to Fountain, Colorado. ;Colorado : in Trinidad. The highways travel concurrently to

Walsenburg The City of Walsenburg is the Statutory City that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Huerfano County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 3,049 at the 2020 census, down from 3,068 in 2010. History Walsenbur ...

. : in Pueblo. The highways travel concurrently through Pueblo. : in Fountain. : in Colorado Springs. The highways travel concurrently through Colorado Springs. : in Colorado Springs. The highways travel concurrently to

Castle Rock Castle Rock may refer to: Geography Islands * Castle Rock (Alaskan Island), an island off the coast of the U.S. state of Alaska * Castle Rock, Hong Kong (螺洲白排), an island of Hong Kong, part of the Po Toi Islands * Castle Rock (Massachusett ...

. : in Denver : in Denver : in Denver. The highways travel concurrently through Denver. : in Denver. The highways travel concurrently through Denver. : in Denver : in Denver : southeast of Twin Lakes : on the Twin Lakes– Sherrelwood– Welby line : in Loveland ;Wyoming : south-southwest of Cheyenne : southwest of Cheyenne : in Cheyenne. The highways travel concurrently to Ranchettes. : west-southwest of Dwyer Junction. The highways travel concurrently to the Casper– Hartrandt city line. : in

. US 20/US 87 travels concurrently to the Casper–Hartrandt city line. : in Casper. The highways travel concurrently to north-northeast of Buffalo. : in Buffalo : north-northeast of Buffalo. I-90/US 87 travels concurrently to

Lockwood Lockwood may refer to: Places Australia *Lockwood, Victoria *Lockwood South, Victoria United Kingdom * Lockwood, North Yorkshire, England *Lockwood, West Yorkshire, England United States *Lockwood, Amador County, California *Lockwood, Monterey Coun ...

. : in

Sheridan Sheridan may refer to: People Surname *Sheridan (surname) *Philip Sheridan (1831–1888), U.S. Army general after whom the Sheridan tank is named *Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751–1816), Irish playwright (''The Rivals''), poet and politician ...

. The highways travel concurrently to northeast of Ranchester. ;Montana : in Crow Agency. The highways travel concurrently to Lockwood. : in Lockwood : north of Klein. The highways travel concurrently to

. : in Lewistown. The highways travel concurrently to west-northwest of

Moore Moore may refer to: People * Moore (surname) ** List of people with surname Moore * Moore Crosthwaite (1907–1989), a British diplomat and ambassador * Moore Disney (1765–1846), a senior officer in the British Army * Moore Powell (died c. 1573 ...

. : south-southeast of Armington. The highways travel concurrently to

. : northeast of Herron

References

External links

Endpoints of U.S. Highway 87
{{s-end 87 87 87 087 087