State Trunk Highway 173 (often called Highway 173, STH 173 or WIS 173) is a state highway in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

. It runs north–south in central Wisconsin from near Wyeville

Wyeville, Wisconsin

Wyeville is a village in Monroe County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 146 at the 2000 census. It takes its name from the railroad wye where rail lines of the former Chicago and North Western Transportation Company, now Union Pacific Railway, cross.-Geography:Wyeville is located at ...

 to Nekoosa

Nekoosa, Wisconsin

Nekoosa is a city in Wood County, Wisconsin, United States. Its name derives from the Ho-Chunk word, "Nakrusa" which translates to "running water." The population was 2,590 at the 2000 census...

. From Valley Junction

Valley Junction, Wisconsin

Valley Junction is an unincorporated community located in the town of Byron, Monroe County, Wisconsin, United States....

 to Babcock

Babcock, Wisconsin

Babcock is an unincorporated census-designated place located in Wood County, Wisconsin, United States. Babcock is southwest of Wisconsin Rapids, in the town of Remington. Babcock has a post office with ZIP code 54413.. As of the 2010 census, its population is 126...

 it is built on top of an abandoned former main line of the Wisconsin Valley Railroad (later the Milwaukee Road

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad

The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until its merger into the Soo Line Railroad on January 1, 1986. The company went through several official names...

). Because of this, it is very straight. Highway 173 travels through wetlands of central Wisconsin.