U.S. Route 36 in Colorado - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

U.S. Route 36 is a major east–west route 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 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...

, extending from Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park is a national park located in the north-central region of the U.S. state of Colorado.It features majestic mountain views, a variety of wildlife, varied climates and environments—from wooded forests to mountain tundra—and easy access to back-country trails...

to the Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

state line.

Route description

US Route 36 begins at Deer Ridge Junction in Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park

, where it intersects US Route 34

U.S. Route 34 in Colorado

U.S. Route 34 in Colorado is a segment of U.S. Route 34. Its west end is at U.S. Route 40 in Granby and its east end is at the Nebraska border east of Laird, Colorado.-Route description:-Granby to Rocky Mountain National Park:...

(Trail Ridge Road

Trail Ridge Road

Trail Ridge Road is the name for a stretch of U.S. Highway 34 and is the highest continuous highway in the United States. Also known as Trail Ridge Road/Beaver Meadow National Scenic Byway, it traverses Rocky Mountain National Park from Estes Park, Colorado in the east to Grand Lake, Colorado in...

) on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains

Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...

. It exits the park at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center

Beaver Meadows Visitor Center

Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, also known as Rocky Mountain National Park Administration Building, is a building in Rocky Mountain National Park that is nationally significant for its architecture...

and enters the town of Estes Park

Estes Park, Colorado

Estes Park is a town in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. A popular summer resort and the location of the headquarters for Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park lies along the Big Thompson River. Estes Park had a population of 5,858 at the 2010 census...

, where it is briefly overlapped with Business US 34 until it meets (but does not cross) the main US 34 again at an intersection shaped like the letter K. On its way out of Estes Park it intersects SH 7

Colorado State Highway 7

State Highway 7 in the U.S. state of Colorado is a state highway. Approximately long, it is located in the north-central portion of the state, traversing the mountains on the east of the continental divide south of Estes Park as well as portions of the Colorado Piedmont north of Denver...

at South St. Vrain Avenue, for the first of three times.

It then descends southeast through North St. Vrain Canyon to the town of Lyons

Lyons, Colorado

Lyons is a Statutory Town in Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,585 at the 2000 census. Lyons is located at the confluence of the North St. Vrain Creek and the South St. Vrain Creek, twenty miles east of Rocky Mountain National Park. Due to its location at the...

, which it enters on Main Street. At 5th Avenue in Lyons, it intersects SH 7 again, beginning an overlap to Boulder

Boulder, Colorado

Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...

which is signed only as US 36. At 5th Avenue and Main Street in Lyons, it divides into a pair of one way streets

One-way traffic

One-way traffic is traffic that moves in a single direction. A one-way street is a street either facilitating only one-way traffic, or designed to direct vehicles to move in one direction.-General signs:...

with the eastbound direction traveling one block south on 5th Avenue and turning east onto Broadway Street, and the westbound direction using Main Street. The two directions reunite in two blocks and leave Lyons southeastward as four-lane Ute Highway. Just outside of Lyons, US 36 turns south at a signalized intersection onto two-lane North Foothills Highway, while SH 66

Colorado State Highway 66

Colorado State Highway 66 is a long east-west state highway in Boulder and Weld counties in Colorado. The highway extends from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at a junction with US Route 36 southeast of Lyons, proceeding east through the northern edge of Longmont, to Platteville where it ends...

continues east to Longmont

Longmont, Colorado

Longmont is a Home Rule Municipality in Boulder and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. Longmont is located in Northern Colorado. Longmont is the 13th most populous city in the State of Colorado. The word "Longmont" comes from Longs Peak, a prominent mountain named for explorer Stephen H....

. From Lyons to Boulder

Boulder, Colorado

, US 36 pretty much traces the edge of the foothills

Foothills

Foothills are geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range. They are a transition zone between plains and low relief hills to the adjacent topographically high mountains.-Examples:...

.

US 36 enters Boulder on four-lane-wide 28th Street, where it serves the city's main shopping area. On the north side of Boulder, it intersects SH 119

Colorado State Highway 119

State Highway 119 is a long state highway in north central Colorado. It extends in a southwest to northeast direction, from a junction with US Route 6 in Clear Creek Canyon between Golden and Idaho Springs to a junction with I-25 east of Longmont....

at Diagonal Highway, beginning a 1.4 mile overlap that extends until SH 119 turns west onto Canyon Boulevard towards Nederland

Nederland, Colorado

The Town of Nederland is a Statutory Town established in 1885 located near the Continental Divide and Barker Meadow Reservoir in the mountains of southwest Boulder County, Colorado....

. One block farther south, SH 7 diverges from its overlap with US 36 by turning east onto Arapahoe Avenue. Leaving the Boulder shopping district, US 36 passes through the University of Colorado

University of Colorado

The University of Colorado system is a system of public universities in Colorado consisting of three universities in four campuses: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and University of Colorado Denver in downtown Denver and at the Anschutz Medical Campus in...

campus area as an expressway

Limited-access road

A limited-access road known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, dual-carriageway and expressway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which has many or most characteristics of a controlled-access highway , including limited or no access to adjacent...

, and at a diamond interchange

Diamond interchange

A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a freeway crosses a minor road. The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge...

with Baseline Road, it meets Spur US 36, a two-block long connector to SH 93

Colorado State Highway 93

State Highway 93 is a highway in Colorado that connects Golden and Boulder.-Route description:SH 93 runs , starting at its southern junction with U.S. Highway 6 at the entrance to Clear Creek Canyon in Golden...

, signed only as "To SH 93" and "To US 36".

Just after the Baseline Road interchange, US 36 curves to the southeast and becomes the Denver-Boulder Turnpike, intersecting SH 157

Colorado State Highway 157

State Highway 157 is a long state highway in Boulder, Colorado. SH 157 is also known as Foothills Parkway in Boulder's city street naming system.-Route description:...

Foothills Parkway on its way out of town. Northwestbound traffic approaching Boulder on the turnpike can stop at a scenic overlook on a high hill, providing a panoramic view of the Front Range

Front Range

The Front Range is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the north-central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is the first mountain range encountered moving west along the 40th parallel north across...

mountains and the City of Boulder; a monument to the Denver-Boulder Turnpike's original builders is also located here. Continuing southeast, the road enters the fast growing Denver

Denver, Colorado

The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...

suburbs of Westminster

Westminster, Colorado

Westminster is a Home Rule Municipality in Adams and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. Westminster is a northwest suburb of Denver. The Westminster Municipal Center is located north-northwest of the Colorado State Capitol. The United States Census Bureau that the city population...

and Broomfield

Broomfield, Colorado

The City and County of Broomfield is a prominent suburb and tier of the Denver metropolitan area in the State of Colorado of the United States. Broomfield has a consolidated city and county government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The...

, which have become popular locations for High-Tech businesses, which can be seen lining the turnpike. An interchange at 96th Street provides access to the Northwest Parkway

Northwest Parkway

The Northwest Parkway is an toll road running from the intersection of I-25 and E-470 to US 36 at 96th Street. Both termini are in Broomfield, Colorado, northwest of Denver. In combination with E-470 and SH 470 , the Northwest Parkway forms a partial beltway of approximately around the...

and E 470 outer beltway around Denver. At an interchange with SH 121 and SH 128

Colorado State Highway 128

State Highway 128 is a long state highway in the Denver, Colorado metro area.-Route description:The route begins in the west at a junction with State Highway 93 roughly thirteen miles south of Boulder. From there, the road proceeds eastward into the northern portions of the Denver metropolitan area...

in Broomfield, it meets (but does not cross) US Route 287. It then intersects US 287 again at Federal Boulevard.

At the very complicated junction of US-36, I-25, I-76, and I-270

Interstate 270 (Colorado)

Interstate 270 is a long highway in the northeastern part of the Denver–Aurora Metropolitan Area in the U.S. state of Colorado. It overlaps U.S. Highway 36 for its entire length. The western terminus of I-270 is at the interchange with I-25 and US 36...

, the Turnpike ends and US-36 emerges overlapped and unsigned with I-270, and continues overlapped and unsigned with I-70 when I-270 ends near the former Stapleton Airport site. At Colfax Avenue, this I-70/US 36 overlap is also joined by US-287 (again) and US-40.

From Watkins

Watkins, Colorado

Watkins is a census-designated place in Arapahoe and Adams County, Colorado, United States. It was formerly an incorporated town. The Watkins Post Office has the ZIP Code 80137...

to Byers

Byers, Colorado

Byers is a census-designated place in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,160 at the 2010 census. The Byers Post Office has the ZIP Code 80103.-Geography:Byers is located at ....

, US-36 continues unsigned in its four-way multiplex with I-70, US-40, and US-287, while its former route through Bennett

Bennett, Colorado

The town of Bennett is a Statutory Town in Adams and Arapahoe counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the town had a population of 2,536 in 2005...

, Strasburg

Strasburg, Colorado

Strasburg is a census-designated place in Adams and Arapahoe counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. The population was 1,402 at the 2000 census. The Strasburg Post Office has the ZIP Code 80136....

, and Byers

Byers, Colorado

is signed separately as Colorado State Highway 36.

At Byers, US 36 heads eastward on its own as a separate rural highway, while the I-70/US-40/US-287 multiplex curves to the southeast. It passes through several small towns such as Last Chance

Last Chance, Colorado

Last Chance is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Colorado, United States. Last Chance is situated at the intersection of U.S. Highway 36 and State Highway 71 in a sparsely populated area of eastern Colorado. The town was supposedly so named because it was once the only place for...

, Lindon

Lindon, Colorado

Lindon is an unincorporated town and a U.S. Post Office located in Washington County, Colorado, United States. The Lindon Post Office has the ZIP Code 80740....

, Anton

Anton, Colorado

Anton is an unincorporated town and U.S. Post Office in Washington County, Colorado, United States. The ZIP Code of the Anton Post Office is 80801.-History:Anton was established about 1915. The Anton Post Office opened on July 18, 1916....

, and Cope

Cope, Colorado

Cope is an unincorporated town and U.S. Post Office in Washington County, Colorado, United States. The Cope Post Office has the ZIP Code 80812....

in Washington County

Washington County, Colorado

Washington County is the 12th most extensive of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 4,926 at U.S. Census 2000. The county was named in honor of the United States President George Washington...

and Joes

Joes, Colorado

Joes is a census-designated place and a U.S. Post Office in Yuma County, Colorado, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 80.The Joes Post Office has the ZIP Code 80822....

and Idalia

Idalia, Colorado

Idalia is a census-designated place and a U.S. Post Office in Yuma County, Colorado, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 88.The Idalia Post Office has the ZIP code 80735.-Geography:...

in Yuma County

Yuma County, Colorado

Yuma County is the 14th most extensive of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 9,841 at U.S. Census 2000...

. At Cope, it is joined by SH 59

Colorado State Highway 59

State Highway 59 is a long state highway in eastern Colorado.-Route description:SH 59 begins in the south at a junction with U.S. Highway 40 in Kit Carson. From there, the road proceeds northward for before intersecting Interstate 70 at that highway's exit 405 just south of the Seibert city...

for about 6 miles. In Yuma County, near Idalia, it jogs north, becoming concurrent with US 385 for about 3 miles before turning east again and continuing about 10 miles to the Kansas

Kansas

border.

Toll Road

The portion of US Route 36 within Rocky Mountain National Park is a toll road, requiring a park entrance fee.

Freeway

US Route 36 is a freeway from Boulder

Boulder, Colorado

to Byers

Byers, Colorado

, portions overlapped with I-270 and I-70.

History

When the bonds for the Denver-Boulder Turnpike were paid off in 1967, US Route 36 was extended from Denver to Rocky Mountain National Park along the now-free turnpike and portions of SH-119, SH-7, and SH-66.

Junction List

{| class="wikitable"
!County
!Location
!#

Exit number

An exit number is a number assigned to a road junction, usually an exit from a freeway. It is usually marked on the same sign as the destinations of the exit, as well as a sign in the gore....

!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=4|Larimer

Larimer County, Colorado

Larimer County is the seventh most populous and the ninth most extensive of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county is located at the northern end of the Front Range, at the edge of the Colorado Eastern Plains along the border with Wyoming...

Estes Park, Colorado

|
|6.5
|
|
|-
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|7.5
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|West end of SH 66 overlap
|-
|
|
|8
|
|
|-
|rowspan=12|Boulder

Boulder County, Colorado

Boulder County is the sixth most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county seat is Boulder. The most populous municipality in the county and the county seat is the City of Boulder...

|Lyons

Lyons, Colorado

Boulder, Colorado

|bgcolor=#ddffdd|
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|40.5
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|East end of SH 7 overlap
|-
|colspan=4 align=center|Begin Denver–Boulder Turnpike
|-
|
|42
|26th Street
|
|-
|
|43
|
|
|-
|
|46.5
|
|
|-
|
|48
|Table Mesa Drive
|
|-
|
|48.5
| – Downtown Boulder

Boulder, Colorado

|
|-
|
|48.5
|Boulder Road
|
|-
|rowspan=2|Louisville

Louisville, Colorado

Louisville is a Home Rule Municipality in Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The population was 18,937 at the 2000 census. Louisville began as a rough mining community in 1877, suffered through a period of extraordinary labor violence early in the 20th century, and then, when the mines...

,
Superior

Superior, Colorado

Superior is a Statutory Town in Boulder and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. According to United States Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 10,308 on 2005-07-01.-History:...

Broomfield, Colorado

|
|54.5
|To Northwest Parkway

Northwest Parkway

/ South 96th Street
|
|-
|bgcolor=#ffdddd|
|bgcolor=#ffdddd|55
|bgcolor=#ffdddd|East Flatiron Circle
|bgcolor=#ffdddd|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
|-
|
|57
|
|
|-
|
|58.5
|Wadsworth Boulevard
|
|-
|rowspan=10|Adams

Adams County, Colorado

Adams County is the fifth most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the county population was 441,603 in 2010 census, a 21.4% increase since 2000 census. Adams County is named for Alva Adams, Governor of the...

|rowspan=3|Westminster

Westminster, Colorado

|
|59
|104th Avenue, Church Ranch Boulevard
|
|-
|
|61
|
|
|-
|
|63.5
|
|
|-
|
|
|65
|Pecos Street
|-
|
|bgcolor=#ffdddd|
|bgcolor=#ffdddd|65.5
|bgcolor=#ffdddd|Broadway
|bgcolor=#ffdddd|Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
|-
|rowspan=2|Welby

Welby, Colorado

Welby is a census-designated place in Adams County, Colorado, United States. The population was 12,973 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Welby is located at ....

Commerce City, Colorado

The city of Commerce City is a Home Rule Municipality located in Adams County, Colorado, United States. Commerce City is a northern suburb of Denver and now the 18th most populous municipality in the state of Colorado...

|2
|69.5
|
|Signed as exits 2A (north) and 2B (south)
|-
|rowspan=5 colspan=2|Denver
|bgcolor=#ffdddd|4
|bgcolor=#ffdddd|71.5
|bgcolor=#ffdddd|Quebec Street (SH 35

Colorado State Highway 35

Colorado State Highway 35, also known as Quebec Street, is a state route in the city of Denver, Colorado. It is long. Its southern end is I-70 and its eastern end is 53rd Place. An expansion was planned but funding has not materialized....

)
|bgcolor=#ffdddd|Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
|-
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|72.5
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|Eastern end of I-270 overlap, Western end of I-70 overlap
|-
|280
|74
|Havana Street
|
|-
|281
|74.5
|Peoria Street
|
|-
|282
|75.5
|
|
|-
|rowspan=11|Adams

Adams County, Colorado

|rowspan=5|Aurora

Aurora, Colorado

City of Aurora is a Home Rule Municipality spanning Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties in Colorado. Aurora is an eastern suburb of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area . The city is the third most populous city in the Colorado and the 56th most populous city in the...

|283
|76.5
|Chambers Road
|
|-
|bgcolor=#ffdddd|284
|bgcolor=#ffdddd|77.5
|bgcolor=#ffdddd|Peña Boulevard

Peña Boulevard

Federico Peña Boulevard, named for former Denver Mayor Federico Peña, is a long freeway located in Adams County and the City and County of Denver, Colorado. The freeway, which opened in 1993, provides the only access into the Denver International Airport which opened at the same time...

– Denver International Airport

Denver International Airport

Denver International Airport , often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado. By land size, at , it is the largest international airport in the United States, and the third largest international airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport and Montréal-Mirabel...

|bgcolor=#ffdddd|Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
|-
|285
|78
|Airport Boulevard
|
|-
|286
|79
|Tower Road
|
|-
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|288
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|81
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|West end of US 40/US 287 overlap
No westbound entrance
|-
|
|289
|82
|, Denver International Airport

Denver International Airport

|
|-
|
|292
|85
|
|
|-
|Watkins

Watkins, Colorado

Watkins is a census-designated place in Arapahoe and Adams County, Colorado, United States. It was formerly an incorporated town. The Watkins Post Office has the ZIP Code 80137...

|295
|88
|
|
|-
|
|299
|92.5
|Manila Road
|
|-
|
|304
|97
|
|
|-
|
|bgcolor=#ffdddd|305
|bgcolor=#ffdddd|98
|bgcolor=#ffdddd|Kiowa

Kiowa, Colorado

The Town of Kiowa is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat of Elbert County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 581 at the U.S...

Arapahoe County, Colorado

As of the census of 2000, there were 487,967 people, 190,909 households, and 125,809 families residing in the county. The population density was 608 people per square mile . There were 196,835 housing units at an average density of 245 per square mile...

|
|306
|98.5
|Kiowa

Kiowa, Colorado

The Town of Kiowa is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat of Elbert County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 581 at the U.S...

, Bennett

Bennett, Colorado

The town of Bennett is a Statutory Town in Adams and Arapahoe counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the town had a population of 2,536 in 2005...

|
|-
|
|310
|103
|
|
|-
|
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|109
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|East end of I-70 overlap
|-
|rowspan=3|Washington

Washington County, Colorado

|Last Chance

Last Chance, Colorado

|
|143
|
|
|-
|Anton

Anton, Colorado

|
|163
|
|
|-
|Cope

Cope, Colorado

Cope is an unincorporated town and U.S. Post Office in Washington County, Colorado, United States. The Cope Post Office has the ZIP Code 80812....

Yuma County, Colorado

Yuma County is the 14th most extensive of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 9,841 at U.S. Census 2000...

Idalia, Colorado

Kansas

|Kansas State Line; Eastern end of US 36 in Colorado
|-

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