U.S. Route 287

U.S. Route 287 (US287) is a north–south (physically northwest–southeast) United States highway. At 1,791 miles (2,882km) long,[citation needed] it is the second longest three-digit U.S. Route, behind US281. The highway is broken into two segments by Yellowstone National Park, where unnumbered park roads serve as a connector.

The highway's northern terminus is in Choteaudddasd, Montana, 100 miles (160km) south of the Canadian border, at an intersection with US89. Its southern terminus (as well as those of US69 and US96) is in Port Arthur, Texas at an intersection with State Highway 87 (SH87), five miles (8km) up the Sabine River from the Gulf of Mexico. It intersects its parent route US87 twice, overlapping it from Amarillo to Dumas, Texas, and then crossing it in Denver, Colorado.

Route description

Texas

ddUS287 originates at its southern terminus in Port Arthur as a branch of SH87. From Port Arthur, US287 runs concurrently with US69 and US96 to Lumberton, where US96 diverges to the northeast and the co-signed US287/US69 continues northwesterly until US287 and US69 diverge in Woodville. Continuing northwesterly, US287 merges with Interstate 45 (I-45) in Corsicana and follows the Interstate to Ennis, where it branches off and continues through Waxahachie, crossing I-35E and continuing north through Tarrant County, where it encounters and briefly merges with three different Interstates (I-820, I-20, and I-35W). From Fort Worth, US287 continues north to Wichita Falls and continues just south of the Oklahoma border before entering the Texas Panhandle. A section of US287, between Midlothian and Waxahachie, was dedicated as the Chris Kyle Memorial Highway, in honor of fallen SEAL Chris Kyle, whose hometown was Midlothian.

The highway continues through Amarillo, where it intersects I-40, and then runs north to Kerrick and crosses into neighboring Oklahoma.

Oklahoma

In Oklahoma, US287 remains within Cimarron County, located at the end of the Panhandle. After crossing the state line north of Kerrick, Texas, the highway intersects SH171 at its southern terminus. US287 continues northwesterly, crossing the Beaver River, toward Boise City, the county seat. On the east side of town, the highway formerly ran concurrently with US56, US64, US412, and SH3. These five highways then entered the traffic circle in downtown Boise City. US287 emerged from the north side of the circle, as well as US385 and SH3. Now US 287 bypasses town to the east. These three highways (US 287, US 385, SH 3) head north to the Colorado state line. SH3 ends there, while US287 and US385 continue onward into Colorado.

Colorado

From Oklahoma, US287 and US385 enter into a very rural part of Colorado. They continue in a north/northwest direction through the state. The two highways pass through the town of Campo, and make an interchange with US160 on the outskirts of Springfield. In Lamar and Carlton, the highways make an interchange with US50. Here US385 heads east on US50, and US287/US50 continue to the north. Just outside the town the highways make a sharp turn toward the west, and the road heading north is SH196. South of Wiley, US50 heads west, while US287 turns north toward Wiley. East of Eads, US287 turns toward the west again, briefly merging with SH96. In Eads, SH96 continues toward the west, while US287 turns toward the north. Near Kit Carson, US287 again turns toward the west and merges with US40. Near Limon, the two highways make two interchanges with I-70 before passing through Limon. Then the two highways merge with I-70. Near the outskirts of Denver US36 merges with the group of highways making the road, I-70/US287/US36/US40.

Just past E-470, I-70 and US36 split to follow a more northerly course, while US287 and US40 continue west into Downtown Denver on Colfax Avenue. The I-25, US6, US87, and US85 interchange marks US287's second junction with its parent route, US87; the other is in Texas. Shortly thereafter, at a cloverleaf interchange with Federal Boulevard, SH88 runs south, US40 continues west on Colfax, and US287 turns toward the north on Federal Boulevard. After crossing US36 (Denver–Boulder Turnpike), US287 turns west onto 120th Avenue where it overlaps SH128. Just before meeting US36 again in Broomfield, US287 bends back to the north, leaving SH128 which continues west through an interchange with SH121 and US36. At Baseline Road in Lafayette, SH7 joins US287 for about a mile, before SH7 splits to the west on Arapahoe Avenue towards Boulder. It intersects SH119 as it enters Longmont on Main Street, and then it intersects SH66 at the north edge of town. In 2021 the Colorado State Senate Joint Resolution 21-018 designated the section of U.S. 287 between SH66 in Longmont and SH402 in Loveland as the SPC Gabriel David Conde Memorial highway. Gabriel Conde was a Berthoud High School graduate and a student at the Colorado School of Mines who joined the U.S. Army in 2015. He was killed in action in Afghanistan in April 2018. The road bypasses Berthoud en route to Loveland, where US287 splits into the pair of one-way streets Lincoln Avenue (northbound) and Cleveland Avenue (southbound). It then divides the Loveland cemetery. This is the only cemetery in the US with a US Highway dividing it.[citation needed] Continuing north, US287 passes through Fort Collins on College Avenue, merging with SH14 at Jefferson Street. On the edge of the mountains at Ted's Place, SH14 splits and heads west into Poudre Canyon, while US287 continues north into Wyoming.

The section of US287 between Fort Collins and Laramie, Wyoming, carries very heavy truck traffic and is regarded as quite dangerous. A 2023 Colorado Department of Transportation report found the highway has above-average crash rates, making the highway a good candidate for more safety improvements. The 30-mile section from north of Fort Collins to the Wyoming line has had 570 crashes, including 15 fatal wrecks since 2019, and at least 15 students from the University of Wyoming in Laramie have died on the road since 2000.

Wyoming

US287 enters Wyoming through a pass between the Laramie Mountains to the east and the Medicine Bow Mountains to the west. In Laramie, US287 crosses I-80 and merges with US30 and the two highways continue to head north. After passing Medicine Bow, these highways turn west-southwest and return to I-80 near Walcott, where they merge with the interstate west until Rawlins. US287 branches off from I-80 and US30 and heads into the town, following I-80 Business and US30 Business for a short distance. In Downtown Rawlins, US287 leaves I-80 Business and US30 Business and merges with Wyoming Highway 789 (WYO789) to Lander, where WYO789 heads toward the northeast and US287 heads toward the northwest. US287 merges with US26 in the very mountainous terrain of West Central Wyoming, and the two highways head west. The highways enter Grand Teton National Park. In Moran, US287 and US26 meet US89 and US191. US26 heads south merging with US191 and US89. US287 heads north merging with US191 and US89, passing through the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway before ending at the South Entrance of Yellowstone National Park. While US287 and other U.S. Routes are officially discontinuous through the park, some commercially produced maps show these highways running inside Yellowstone National Park itself along its unnumbered roads and across the Wyoming–Montana state line.

Montana

US287 in Montana begins at the West Entrance of Yellowstone National Park in West Yellowstone, terminating a concurrency with US20. US287 and US191 split north of the town. US287 heads toward the northwest, merging with Montana Highway 2 (MT2) north of Sappington, and running northeast. At I-90, MT2 ends and US287 continues to head north. In Townsend, US287 merges with US12 and the two highways continue north. At I-15 (near Helena), US287 continues north on I-15 and US12 heads west through downtown Helena. Northeast of Wolf Creek, US287 and I-15 split with US287 heading northwest and I-15 heading northeast. US287 ends at US89 in Choteau.

History

When US287 was first commissioned in 1939, it extended only from the south entrance of Yellowstone National Park to Denver, Colorado. The route was extended southward to the Gulf Coast at Port Arthur, Texas in 1940, and northward into Montana to US89 at Choteau, Montana in 1965. US89 continues north of Choteau into Alberta as Highway 2 through the major cities of Calgary and Edmonton, connecting with a Canadian link to the Alaska Highway in the latter.

Included in the route of US287 is former US370, which was commissioned in 1926 and connected Amarillo to Bowie, traveling concurrently with US70 between Vernon and Wichita Falls, Texas.

The Canada to Gulf Highway Association, which later became the U.S. Highway 287 Association, was active from the 1910s until the 1970s to promote US287 as a popular tourist route, and was composed of members from businesses and organizations in cities along the route.

The Wyoming state transportation department started widening US287 in 2009.

On April 22, 2021, the Oklahoma Legislature passed a bill that would rename part of US287 in Oklahoma after President Donald Trump; it went into effect on November 1, 2021.

Future

In 2017, House Bill 2026 (HB 2026) was filed in the Texas Legislature to provide funding for a study on upgrading US287 in Texas to an Interstate highway, with the eventual goal of designating US287 as an Interstate from Beaumont, Texas, to the Canadian border in Montana. HB 2026 later died in committee.

On May 11, 2026, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced a bill to upgrade and rename US287 as Interstate 47. Cornyn, who was seeking U.S. President Donald Trump's endorsement for re-election, said the conversion would save $5 billion in travel costs while honoring Trump, the 47th president.

Major intersections

Southern segment

Texas US69/US96 in Port Arthur. US69/US287 travels concurrently to Woodville. US96/US287 travels concurrently to south of Lumberton. I-10 in Beaumont. The highways travel concurrently through Beaumont. US90 in Beaumont US190 in Woodville Future I-69/US59 in Corrigan US84 in Palestine. The highways travel concurrently through Palestine. US79 in Palestine I-45 in Corsicana. The highways travel concurrently to Ennis. US77 in Waxahachie I-35E in Waxahachie US67 in Midlothian I-20 in Arlington. The highways travel concurrently to Fort Worth. I-20/I-820 in Fort Worth. I-820/US287 travels concurrently through Fort Worth. I-30 in Fort Worth I-35W/US377 in Fort Worth. The highways travel concurrently through Fort Worth. I-820 in Fort Worth I-35W/US81 in Fort Worth. US81/US287 travels concurrently to Bowie. US380 in Decatur US82 west of Henrietta. The highways travel concurrently to Wichita Falls. US281 in Wichita Falls. The highways travel concurrently through Wichita Falls. US82/US277 in Wichita Falls. US277/US287 travels concurrently through Wichita Falls. I-44 in Wichita Falls. The highways travel concurrently through Wichita Falls. US70/US183 in Oklaunion. The highways travel concurrently to Vernon. US183/US283 in Vernon US62/US83 in Childress I-40 in Amarillo. The highways travel concurrently through Amarillo. I-27/I-40/US60 in Amarillo. US60/US287 travels concurrently through Amarillo. US87 in Amarillo. The highways travel concurrently to Dumas. US54 in Stratford

Oklahoma US56/US64/US412 east of Boise City US385 north of Boise City. The highways travel concurrently to Lamar, Colorado.

Colorado US160 south of Springfield US50/US385 in Lamar. US50/US287 travels concurrently to south of Wiley. US40 east of Kit Carson. The highways travel concurrently to Denver. I-70/US24 east-southeast of Limon. US24/US287 travels concurrently to west of Limon. I-70 in Limon I-70 in Limon. The highways travel concurrently to Aurora. US36 in Byers. The highways travel concurrently to Aurora. I-225 in Aurora I-25/US6/US85/US87 in Denver I-70 in Denver I-76 in Berkley US36 in Westminster US34 in Loveland

Wyoming I-80 in Laramie US30 in Laramie. The highways travel concurrently to east of Rawlins. I-80 south-southeast of Walcott. The highways travel concurrently to east of Rawlins. US26 west-northwest of Morton. The highways travel concurrently to Moran. US26/US89/US191 in Moran. US89/US191/US287 travels concurrently to the South Entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone National Park segment (unofficial designation)

US89 travels concurrently from the park's South Entrance to north-northwest of West Thumb. US191 travels concurrently from the park's South Entrance to the park's West Entrance. US14/US16/US20 in West Thumb. US20/US191 travels concurrently to the park's West Entrance.

Northern segment

Montana US20/US191 from the West Entrance to Yellowstone National Park; the highways travel concurrently to West Yellowstone. I-90 northwest of Three Forks US12 in Townsend. The highways travel concurrently to Helena. I-15/US12 in Helena. I-15/US287 travels concurrently to northeast of Wolf Creek. US89 in Choteau

External links