State Highway 23 is a 17.7 mi (28.5 km) long state highway

State highway

State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...

 in the northeastern corner of Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

. The route begins at its junction with U.S. Highway 385 at Holyoke

Holyoke, Colorado

The City of Holyoke is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Phillips County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 2,261 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Holyoke is located at ....

 and travels northeast through Amherst

Amherst, Colorado

Amherst is a census-designated place and U.S. Post Office in Phillips County, Colorado, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 58. The ZIP Code of the Amherst Post Office is 80721.-History:The town of Amherst was established about 1887....

 to the Nebraska

Nebraska

Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

 state line where it becomes Nebraska Highway 23

Nebraska Highway 23

Nebraska Highway 23 is a highway in southwestern Nebraska. Its western terminus is on the Colorado border at Venango, where the highway continues west as Colorado State Highway 23. Its eastern terminus is at Holdrege at an intersection with U.S. Highway 6 and U.S. Highway 34.-Route...

.

Route description

The route begins at . After sixteen miles of crossing various roads without entering any incorporated cities, it exits Phillips County

Phillips County, Colorado

Phillips County is one of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county was named in honor of R.O. Phillips, a secretary of the Lincoln Land Company, who organized several towns in Colorado. The county population was 4,480 at U.S. Census 2000...

 and enters Sedgwick County

Sedgwick County, Colorado

Sedgwick County is the northeasternmost of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county was named for Fort Sedgwick, a military post along the Platte Trail, which was named for General John Sedgwick. The county population was 2,379 at U.S. 2010 Census...

. About a mile later, it reaches the Colorado-Nebraska

Nebraska

Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

 state line and becomes Nebraska Highway 23

Nebraska Highway 23

Nebraska Highway 23 is a highway in southwestern Nebraska. Its western terminus is on the Colorado border at Venango, where the highway continues west as Colorado State Highway 23. Its eastern terminus is at Holdrege at an intersection with U.S. Highway 6 and U.S. Highway 34.-Route...

.

History

The route was formerly numbered as SH 176. However, it was changed to match the Nebraska highway number at its northeast end because both SH 176 and I-76 traversed through the same general region of the state.

Junction list

{| class=wikitable
!County
!Location
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=4|Phillips

Phillips County, Colorado

Phillips County is one of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county was named in honor of R.O. Phillips, a secretary of the Lincoln Land Company, who organized several towns in Colorado. The county population was 4,480 at U.S. Census 2000...

|rowspan=1|Holyoke

Holyoke, Colorado

The City of Holyoke is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Phillips County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 2,261 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Holyoke is located at ....

|0.000
|
|Southwest end of route
|-
|
|9.387
|Monmouth Avenue
|
|-
|
|9.471
|Main Avenue
|
|-
|
|9.571
|Maiden Avenue
|
|-
|rowspan=1|Sedgwick

Sedgwick County, Colorado

Sedgwick County is the northeasternmost of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county was named for Fort Sedgwick, a military post along the Platte Trail, which was named for General John Sedgwick. The county population was 2,379 at U.S. 2010 Census...

|rowspan=1|Venango

Venango, Nebraska

Venango is a village in Perkins County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 175 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Venango is located at ....

|17.507
|
|Northeast end of route