U.S. Route 26 (US 26) is an east–west United States highway that runs from Seaside, Oregon to Ogallala,

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

. When the U.S. highway system was first defined, it was limited to Nebraska and

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to t ...

; by the 1950s, it continued into

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Monta ...

and Oregon. The highway's eastern terminus is in

Ogallala, Nebraska Ogallala is a city in and the county seat of Keith County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 4,737 at the 2010 census. In the days of the Nebraska Territory, the city was a stop on the Pony Express and later along the transcontinental ...

at an intersection with

Interstate 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 ...

. Its western terminus is south of Seaside, Oregon at an intersection with

U.S. Route 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal Roa ...

. Prior to 2004, the route's last 20 miles (32 km) were co-signed with U.S. Route 101 from the highways' junction south of Seaside north to Astoria where its intersection with U.S. Route 30 was also U.S. 30's western terminus. Long segments of the highway follow the historic

Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of what is now the state of Kans ...

. At its peak, immediately before the establishment of the

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. T ...

, US 26 was 1,557 miles (2506 km) in length, and terminated in

Astoria, Oregon Astoria is a port city and the seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The county is the northwest corne ...

Route description

Oregon

Starting at a junction with

U.S. Highway 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal Roa ...

near Seaside, Oregon, U.S. Highway 26 heads southeast through the Coast Range to Portland. In the western Portland area, US 26 is a

freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

known as the Sunset Highway. After passing through the Vista Ridge Tunnel, heading into downtown Portland, it intersects with Interstate 405 and runs along the interstate southbound for about a half-mile before exiting onto surface streets at the waterfront, meeting

Oregon Route 43 Oregon Route 43 is an Oregon state highway that runs between the cities of Oregon City and Portland, mostly along the western flank of the Willamette River. While it is technically known by the Oregon Department of Transportation as the Osw ...

at Macadam Avenue before crossing Interstate 5. After crossing the

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...

and meeting at an incomplete interchange with Oregon Route 99E, US 26 then heads east on Powell Boulevard where it crosses Interstate 205 and continues east to Sandy on what is known as the Mount Hood Highway No. 26 (see ''Oregon Routes and Highways''), a four-lane divided highway that was supposed to be the

Mount Hood Freeway The Mount Hood Freeway is a partially constructed but never to be completed freeway alignment of U.S. Route 26 and Interstate 80N (now Interstate 84), which would have run through southeast Portland, Oregon. Related projects would have cont ...

, which was never built just south of Division St. After passing through Sandy, Highway 26 (known there as the Mount Hood Highway) continues on towards Government Camp and Bennett Pass, where it eventually meets up with

Oregon Route 35 Oregon Route 35 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Oregon, running between Government Camp on the slopes of Mount Hood and the city of Hood River. OR 35 traverses part of the Mt. Hood Highway No. 26 ( Mount Hood Scenic Byway) ...

. The Mount Hood Highway continues north along

, while Highway 26 heads southeast towards Madras, where it intersects with

U.S. Route 97 U.S. Route 97 (US 97) is a major north–south route of the United States Numbered Highway System in the Pacific Northwest region. It runs for approximately through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, primarily serving i ...

. It then continues southeast to Prineville, where it meets Oregon Route 126 and heads east through John Day where it meets U.S. Route 20 in

Vale A vale is a type of valley. Vale may also refer to: Places Georgia * Vale, Georgia, a town in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region Norway * Våle, a historic municipality Portugal * Vale (Santa Maria da Feira), a former civil parish in the municipa ...

. The remainder of Highway 26 follows U.S. Route 20 to the

state line.

Idaho

From the Oregon state line, US 26 continues to follow

US 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. ...

to Boise, with short concurrencies with

U.S. Highway 95 US Route 95 (US 95) is a major north–south US Highway in the western United States. It travels through the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho, staying inland from the Pacific Coast. US 95 begins in San Luis ...

near Parma and Interstate 84 at

Caldwell Caldwell may refer to: People * Caldwell (surname) * Caldwell (given name) * Caldwell First Nation, a federally recognized Indian band in southern Ontario, Canada Places Great Britain * Caldwell, Derbyshire, a hamlet * Caldwell, Eas ...

. At Boise, US 26/US 20 merges with I-84 for about 40 miles until Mountain Home, where US 20 splits from US 26/I-84. About 41 miles later in Bliss, US 26 splits from I-84, joining US 93 at

Shoshone The Shoshone or Shoshoni ( or ) are a Native American tribe with four large cultural/linguistic divisions: * Eastern Shoshone: Wyoming * Northern Shoshone: southern Idaho * Western Shoshone: Nevada, northern Utah * Goshute: western Utah, easte ...

with the concurrent routes joining US 20 at Carey. US 26/20/93 skirt the north edge of Craters of the Moon National Monument and then through

Arco ARCO ( ) is a brand of gasoline stations currently owned by Marathon Petroleum after BP sold its rights. BP commercializes the brand in Northern California, Oregon and Washington, while Marathon has rights for the rest of the United States an ...

where US 93 splits north. Near

Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is one of the national laboratories of the United States Department of Energy and is managed by the Battelle Energy Alliance. While the laboratory does other research, historically it has been involved with nu ...

, US. 26 again splits from US 20 to the southeast, proceeding to

Blackfoot The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'' or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or "Blackfoot language, Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up t ...

, where US 26 joins Interstate 15 for about 20 miles before splitting just south of Idaho Falls toward

Alpine, Wyoming Alpine is a town in Lincoln County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 828 at the 2010 census. Geography Alpine is located at the southern end of the Snake River Canyon where the Snake River enters Palisades Reservoir. The town is also ...

Wyoming

From Alpine, US 26 is co-signed with U.S. Route 89 east and north to Hoback Junction, then co-signed with US 89, U.S. Route 189, 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 nort ...

to Jackson. US 189 ends in Jackson, and the other three highways continue their concurrency through Grand Teton National Park up to Moran. At "Glacier View Turnout," a view of Teton Glacier, on the north of

Grand Teton Grand Teton is the highest mountain in Grand Teton National Park, in Northwest Wyoming, and a classic destination in American mountaineering. Geography Grand Teton, at , is the highest point of the Teton Range, and the second highest peak in ...

, can be seen. At Moran, US 26 turns east, concurrent with

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

. Crossing the

Continental Divide A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not c ...

at Togwotee Pass, US 26 passes through

Dubois, Wyoming Dubois is a town in Fremont County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 971 at the 2010 census, but dropped to 911 in the 2020 census. The population nearly doubles in the summer with many part-time residents. While the Town of Dubois ...

, the end of the Wyoming Centennial Scenic Byway, and at Diversion Dam Junction, US 26 and US 287 separate; US 26 continues southeast to Riverton, then northeast to

Shoshoni The Shoshone or Shoshoni ( or ) are a Native American tribe with four large cultural/linguistic divisions: * Eastern Shoshone: Wyoming * Northern Shoshone: southern Idaho * Western Shoshone: Nevada, northern Utah * Goshute: western Utah, e ...

. From Shoshoni to

Casper Casper may refer to: People * Casper (given name) * Casper (surname) * Casper (Maya ruler) (422–487?), ruler of the Mayan city of Palenque * Tok Casper, first known king of Maya city-state Quiriguá in Guatemala, ruling beginning in 426 * Da ...

, US 26 is co-signed with U.S. Highway 20. US 20-26 has a bypass north of Casper, the eastern half of which is concurrent 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 Mexi ...

and

U.S. Route 87 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 roa ...

. US 20-26-87 parallels I-25 from Casper to Glenrock; east of Glenrock, US 26 (along with US 20 and US 87) is co-signed on I-25. US 26 follows I-25 to Dwyer Junction, where it turns east to continue along the Old

. US 26 passes through

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

Fort Laramie Fort Laramie (founded as Fort William and known for a while as Fort John) was a significant 19th-century trading-post, diplomatic site, and military installation located at the confluence of the Laramie and the North Platte rivers. They joined ...

, Lingle, and Torrington before entering Nebraska.

U.S. Route 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 ...

is concurrent with US 26 between Lingle and Torrington.

Nebraska

US 26 runs southeastward parallel to the

North Platte River The North Platte River is a major tributary of the Platte River and is approximately long, counting its many curves.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 21, 2011 In a ...

. The largest city US 26 runs through in Nebraska is

Scottsbluff Scottsbluff is a city in Scotts Bluff County, in the western part of the state of Nebraska, in the Great Plains region of the United States. The population was 14,436 at the 2020 census. Scottsbluff is the largest city in the Nebraska Panha ...

, which is just 22 miles (35 km) from the Wyoming border. US 26 also goes past the Chimney Rock National Historic Site. US 26 intersects with U.S. Highway 385 in

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonn ...

and then continues to its eastern terminus in Ogallala, Nebraska at

. All told, there are 145 miles (233 km) of US 26 in the state of Nebraska.

History

U.S. Highway 320 (US 320) was part of the initial 1926 system, connecting US 20 in

with US 87W in Riverton, Wyoming. It became WYO 320 in 1938, which was extended southwest to

Lander Lander may refer to: Media and entertainment * ''Lander'' (computer game), computer game published by Psygnosis in 1999 * ''Lander'' (game demo), the 3D game demo provided with the Acorn Archimedes computer * Lander (Transformers), a fiction ...

in 1940 when US 287 (which had replaced US 87W) was realigned. The original part of US 320/WYO 320 became part of an extension of US 26 in 1950, and the rest of WYO 320 became part of WYO 789 in 1954.Wyoming @ AARoads.com - U.S. Highway 320 (Decommissioned)
/ref>

Major intersections

;Oregon : south of Seaside : in Portland. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Portland : in

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...

. The highways travel concurrently to John Day. : in

. The highways travel concurrently to Mountain Home. ;Idaho : north-northwest of

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second m ...

. The highways travel concurrently to southeast of Parma. : north of

. The highways travel concurrently to Caldwell. : in Boise. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Boise. I-84/US 26 travel concurrently to Bliss. US 26/US 30 travel concurrently to west-northwest of Bliss. : in

. The highways travel concurrently to

. : in Carey. The highways travel concurrently to northwest of Atomic City. : in

. The highways travel concurrently to Idaho Falls. : in Idaho Falls ;Wyoming : on the Alpine Northwest– Alpine Northeast line. The highways travel concurrently to Moran. : in

Hoback Junction Hoback is a census-designated place (CDP) in Teton County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 1,176 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Jackson, WY– ID Micropolitan Statistical Area. The town is named for John Hoback, a mounta ...

. US 26/US 189 travel concurrently to Jackson. US 26/US 191 travel concurrently to Moran. : in Moran. The highways travel concurrently to west-northwest of Morton. : in

. The highways travel concurrently 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 ...

. : on the

– Hartrandt city line. I-25/US 26 travel concurrently into Casper proper. US 26/US 87 travel concurrently to west-southwest of Dwyer. : southeast of Glenrock. The highways travel concurrently to west-southwest of Dwyer. : in

: in Lingle. The highways travel concurrently to Torrington. ;Nebraska : in

. The highways travel concurrently to Northport. : west of Ogallala. The highways travel concurrently to Ogallala. : in Ogallala. The roadway continues as .

References

External links

*
Endpoints of U.S. Highway 26
{{DEFAULTSORT:26 United States Numbered Highway System U.S. Route 26 U.S. Highways in Wyoming