# U.S. Route 287 in Colorado

U.S. Highway 287 (US 287) is the portion of a north-south highway in Colorado that travels from the Oklahoma state line just south of Campo to the Wyoming state line north of Fort Collins.

## Route description

Heading from the Oklahoma border, US 287 and US 385, upon entering the state, pass through Campo, and make an interchange with US 160 south of Springfield. In Lamar and Carlton, the highways split at an interchange with US 50, where US 287 continues north, this time concurrent with US 50. Just outside the town the highways make a sharp turn toward the west, and the road heading north is SH 196. South of Wiley, US 50 heads west, while US 287 turns north toward Wiley. East of Eads, Colorado US 287 turns toward the west again, briefly merging with SH 96. In Eads SH 96 continues west, while US 287 moves north. Just east of Kit Carson, US 287 again turns toward the west and merges with US 40. East of Limon, the two highways make two interchanges with I-70 before entering Limon. After a brief concurrency with US 24, the two highways merge with I-70. Near the outskirts of Aurora US 36 merges with the group of highways as well.
Just past E-470, I-70 and US 36 split to follow a more northerly course, while US 287 and US 40 continue west into Downtown Denver on Colfax Avenue. The I-25, US 6, US 87, and US 85 interchange marks US 287's second junction with its parent route, US 87. Shortly thereafter, at a cloverleaf interchange with Federal Boulevard, SH 88 runs south, US 40 continues west, and US 287 turns north on Federal Boulevard. After crossing I-76 and then US 36 for a second time, US 287 turns west onto 120th Avenue where it overlaps SH 128. Just before meeting US 36 again in Broomfield, US 287 bends back to the north, leaving SH 128 to continue west. At Baseline Road in Lafayette, SH 7 joins US 287 for about a mile, before it splits to the west on Arapahoe Avenue towards Boulder. US 287 intersects SH 119 as it enters Longmont on the very busy Main Street, then intersects SH 66 at the north edge of town. The road bypasses Berthoud en route to Loveland, where US 287 splits into the pair of one-way streets. US 287 passes through Fort Collins on College Avenue, merging with SH 14 at Jefferson Street. On the edge of the mountains, SH 14 splits and heads west into Poudre Canyon, while US 287 continues north into Wyoming.
The section of US 287 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.

## History

The original US 287 only traveled from Denver past the Wyoming state line in 1935. In 1940, US 287 was expanded past the Oklahoma state line (to Port Arthur, Texas), replacing US 285.
After a head-on crash on the highway in 2001, there were people lobbying for a widening of US 287 at the Wyoming state line. Their request was answered in April 2009. Throughout 2012, the highway was expanded to three lanes north of Fort Collins, was resurfaced, and contained shoulders to prevent such accidents.

## Junction list

| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
| Baca | ​ | 0.000 | 0.000 | US 287 south / US 385 south / SH-3 east – Boise City | Continuation into Oklahoma |
| Baca | Springfield | 28.777 | 46.312 | US 160 – Trinidad, Johnson City | |
| Baca | ​ | 40.772 | 65.616 | SH 116 – Two Buttes, Lycan | |
| Prowers | Lamar | 77.639 | 124.948 | US 50 east / US 385 north (Olive Street) – Granada | Northern end of US 385 overlap; southern end of US 50 overlap |
| Prowers | ​ | 85.188– 85.451 | 137.097– 137.520 | US 50 west – La Junta | Interchange; northern end of US 50 overlap; left exit northbound, left entrance southbound |
| Prowers | Wiley | 87.371 | 140.610 | SH 196 – Kornman, McClave | |
| Kiowa | ​ | 110.590 | 177.977 | SH 96 east – Sheridan Lake | Southern end of SH 96 overlap |
| Kiowa | Eads | 113.420 | 182.532 | SH 96 west – Haswell | Northern end of SH 96 overlap |
| Cheyenne | ​ | 133.240 | 214.429 | US 40 east – Cheyenne Wells | Southern end of US 40 overlap |
| Cheyenne | Kit Carson | 134.149 | 215.892 | SH 59 – Seibert | |
| Cheyenne | Aroya | 153.819 | 247.548 | SH 94 – Colorado Springs | |
| Lincoln | ​ | 193.281 | 311.056 | I-70 BL begins / US 24 east / I-70 | Southern end of I-70 Bus./US 24 overlap; I-70 exit 363 |
| Lincoln | Limon | 194.552 | 313.101 | I-70 – Weigh Station | I-70 exit 361 |
| Lincoln | Limon | 194.950 | 313.742 | SH 71 north (1st Street) – Brush | Eastern end of SH 71 overlap |
| Lincoln | Limon | 196.007 | 315.443 | SH 71 south (Indiana Avenue) – Ordway | Western end of SH 71 overlap |
| Lincoln | Limon | 197.031 | 317.091 | US 24 west – Colorado Springs | Northern end of US 24 overlap |
| Lincoln | Limon | 197.579 | 317.973 | I-70 BL ends / I-70 east – Weigh Station | Northern end of I-70 Bus. overlap; southern end of I-70 overlap; I-70 exit 359 |
| See I-70 ||||||
| Arapahoe–Adams county line | Aurora | 266.715 | 429.236 | I-70 BL begins / I-70 (US 36) – Denver | Northern end of I-70 overlap; southern end of I-70 Bus. overlap; no southbound access to I-70 west; I-70 exit 288; serves Denver International Airport |
| Arapahoe | Aurora | 272.516 | 438.572 | I-225 | I-225 exit 10 |
| City and County of Denver | City and County of Denver | 278.232 | 447.771 | SH 2 (Colorado Boulevard) | |
| City and County of Denver | City and County of Denver | 282.065 | 453.940 | I-25 (US 6 / US 85 / US 87) / Auraria Parkway – Ft. Collins, Colorado Springs | I-25 exit 210A |
| City and County of Denver | City and County of Denver | 282.700 | 454.962 | SH 88 south (Federal Boulevard south) | Interchange |
| City and County of Denver | City and County of Denver | 282.700 | 454.962 | I-70 BL west / US 40 west (Colfax Avenue west) | Interchange; northern end of I-70 Bus./US 40 overlap |
| City and County of Denver | City and County of Denver | 285.752 | 459.873 | I-70 – Grand Junction | I-70 exit 272 |
| Adams | Berkley | 286.913 | 461.742 | I-76 – Fort Morgan | I-76 exit 3 |
| Adams | Westminster | 289.367 | 465.691 | US 36 (Denver-Boulder Turnpike) – Boulder, Denver | Interchange |
| Adams | ​ | 294.711 | 474.291 | SH 128 east (120th Avenue east) | Southern end of SH 128 overlap |
| City and County of Broomfield | City and County of Broomfield | 298.100 | 479.745 | SH 121 south / SH 128 west | Interchange; northern end of SH 128 overlap |
| Broomfield–Boulder county line | Broomfield–Lafayette line | 300.886 | 484.229 | Northwest Parkway | Northwest Parkway exit 52 |
| Boulder | Lafayette | 301.825 | 485.740 | SH 42 west (Empire Road) – Louisville | |
| Boulder | Lafayette | 304.273 | 489.680 | SH 7 east (Baseline Road) – Brighton | Southern end of SH 7 overlap |
| Boulder | Lafayette | 305.361 | 491.431 | SH 7 west (Arapahoe Road) – Boulder | Northern end of SH 7 overlap |
| Boulder | ​ | 310.390 | 499.524 | SH 52 – Niwot, Dacono, Fort Lupton | |
| Boulder | Longmont | 314.902 | 506.786 | SH 119 (Ken Pratt Boulevard) to I-25 – Boulder | |
| Boulder | Longmont | 318.326 | 512.296 | SH 66 – Estes Park, Platteville, Ute Creek Golf Course | |
| Larimer | Berthoud | 325.529 | 523.888 | SH 56 east – Museum, Berthoud Business District | |
| Larimer | Campion | 329.160 | 529.732 | Berthoud | Interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance, exit ramp includes direct entrance back onto US 287 north |
| Larimer | Campion | 330.023 | 531.121 | SH 60 east (SE 42nd Street) | |
| Larimer | Loveland | 332.028 | 534.347 | SH 402 east (14th Street SE) | |
| Larimer | Loveland | 334.053 | 537.606 | US 34 (Eisenhower Boulevard) – Estes Park, Greeley | Serves McKee Medical Center |
| Larimer | Fort Collins | 339.128 | 545.774 | SH 392 east (Carpenter Road) to I-25 | |
| Larimer | Fort Collins | 346.874 | 558.240 | SH 14 east (Jefferson Street) to I-25 – Ault, Denver | Southern end of SH 14 overlap |
| Larimer | Fort Collins | 348.635 | 561.074 | SH 1 north (Terry Lake Road) | |
| Larimer | ​ | 355.856 | 572.695 | SH 14 west (Cache La Poudre-North Park Scenic Byway) – Walden, Poudre Canyon | Northern end of SH 14 overlap |
| Larimer | ​ | 385.223 | 619.956 | US 287 north – Laramie | Continuation into Wyoming |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Incomplete access ||||||