| Northbound Interstate 25/Monument Valley Freeway and westbound U.S. 24 reaches Exit 140, Junction Business Loop I-25, U.S. 85-87, and south Colorado 115. Nevada Avenue is signed solely as "Business Loop I-25" to the north and as "U.S. 85 and Colorado 115" to the south. Nevertheless, U.S. 87 is silently merged with U.S. 85 and business route while on Nevada Avenue. Even U.S. 85 is a secret route on Nevada Avenue north of this interchange. Photo taken 08/29/04.
|
| The next exit along northbound Interstate 25 and westbound U.S. 24 is Exit 141, Junction U.S. 24/Cimarron Street westbound. U.S. 24 departs from Interstate 25 here, following Cimarron Street out of Colorado Springs and changing into the Manitou Springs Bypass upon entering Manitou Springs. Photo taken 08/29/04.
|
| U.S. 24 serves a variety of natural features, including Pikes Peak, Manitou Springs, and the Garden of the Gods. To Pikes Peak, follow U.S. 24 west past the end of the expressway (after Manitou Springs), then look for signs for the Pikes Peak Highway. The highway is a toll road that heads southwest from U.S. 24 near Cascade and ascends one of the nation's most famous mountains. Ascending to 14,110 feet above sea level, the highway is partially paved and partially unpaved. The highway is about 19 miles long as it winds its way up the mountain, which is the easternmost of the tall peaks in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Photo taken 08/29/04.
|
| Northbound Interstate 25 and westbound U.S. 24 split at Exit 141. In addition to Pikes Peak, U.S. 24/Cimarron Street also travels west to Manitou Springs, which is home to the Miramont Castle (built in 1895) and Cave of the Winds, which was discovered in the 1870s and opened as a tourist attraction thereafter. Photo taken 08/29/04.
|
| After the U.S. 24/Cimarron Street interchange, northbound Interstate 25/Monument Valley Freeway approaches Exit 142, Bijou Street, which leads east into downtown Colorado Springs, with connections to Business Loop I-25/U.S. 85-87/Nevada Avenue. For more on Colorado Springs, visit the Convention and Visitors Bureau web page. Once it crosses the Monument Creek, Bijou Street splits into the Bijou/Kiowa Street one-way couplet, with all eastbound traffic diverted onto one-way Kiowa Street. Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| This older roadside sign is located along northbound Interstate 25 as it approaches Exit 142, Bijou Street. Downtown Colorado Springs is located just east of the freeway, on the other side of the Monument Creek. Interstate 25/Monument Valley Freeway through downtown Colorado Springs has not yet been reconstructed, so this stretch from U.S. 24 north to Uintah Street features older-style bridges, guardrail, and a tight design that only affords two lanes plus an occasional auxiliary lane in each direction. This stretch of Interstate 25 is slated for reconstruction. The next exit is Exit 143, Uintah Street. Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| The next exit along northbound Interstate 25 is Exit 143, Uintah Street. Use Uintah Street east into downtown Colorado Springs and west toward, but not to, the Garden of the Gods (via Mesa Road) and Manitou Springs. Photo taken 08/29/04.
|
| This mileage sign along northbound Interstate 25/Monument Valley Freeway in downtown Colorado Springs provides the distance to the next three exits: Exit 143, Uintah Street; Exit 144, Fontanero Street; and Exit 145, Fillmore Street. Part of the reason Interstate 25 occupies such a narrow space through this stretch is due to its proximity to Monument Creek and the Monument Valley Park. Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| Use Uintah Street east to Colorado College and the U.S. Olympic Center. While Colorado College is located just east of Interstate 25 after the Monument Creek bridge, the Olympics complex is reached via Uintah Street east to Union Boulevard south. Photo taken 08/29/04.
|
| A second mileage sign is placed on northbound Interstate 25/Monument Valley Freeway. The same three exits are mentioned: Exit 143, Uintah Street; Exit 144, Fontanero Street; and Exit 145, Fillmore Street. Photo taken 08/29/04.
|
| Northbound Interstate 25/Monument Valley Freeway reaches Exit 143, Uintah Street. Use Uintah Street to reach Colorado College, which is bounded by Uintah on the north, Monument Creek on the west, Nevada Avenue (Business Loop I-25/U.S. 85-87) on the east, and Cache La Poudre on the south. The next exit is Exit 144, Fontanero Street, 0.75 mile. Note that the freeway widens out here; this section was under construction and expanded in the late 1990s. Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| This mileage sign on northbound Interstate 25/Monument Valley Freeway provides the distance to the next three exits: Exit 144, Fontanero Street; Exit 145, Junction Colorado 38/Fillmore Street; and Exit 146, Garden of the Gods Road/Austin Bluffs Parkway. Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| Northbound Interstate 25/Monument Valley Freeway reaches Exit 144, Fontanero Street. The next exit is for Fillmore Street; Fillmore Street between Interstate 25 and Business Loop I-25 is designated as part of the state highway system (Colorado 38). Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| This mileage sign along northbound Interstate 25/Monument Valley Freeway shows the distance to the next three exits: Exit 145, Junction Colorado 38/Fillmore Street; Exit 146, Garden of the Gods Road; and Exit 147, Rockrimmon Road. Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| Northbound Interstate 25/Monument Valley Freeway at Exit 145, Junction Colorado 38 west/Fillmore Street. The next exit is westbound Garden of the Gods Road to 30th Street/Mesa Road en route to Garden of the Gods Park and eastbound Garden of the Gods Road to Business Loop I-25/Nevada Avenue to Austin Bluffs Parkway. Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| View of the Fillmore Street overpass as seen from northbound Interstate 25. Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| The next exit along northbound Interstate 25/Monument Valley Freeway is Exit 146, Garden of the Gods Road, one-half mile. Use Garden of the Gods Road west to the Garden of the Gods, which is a public park with paved hiking trails and an interpretative nature center. Red rocks jut out from the landscape, giving the area an other worldly feel. Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| Colorado Technology University and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs are reached via Garden of the Gods Road eastbound (which changes into Austin Bluffs Parkway east of Nevada Avenue/Business Loop I-25). Photo taken 08/29/04.
|
| Northbound Interstate 25/Monument Valley Freeway at Exit 146, Garden of the Gods Road. For more on the Garden of the Gods itself, including pictures of the unique rock formations in the park, see the U.S. Highway 24 page. Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| The next exit along northbound is Exit 147, Rockrimmon Boulevard. Use Rockrimmon Boulevard northwest to the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. Photo taken 08/29/04.
|
| Northbound Interstate 25/Monument Valley Freeway reaches Exit 148A, Junction Business Loop I-25/Nevada Avenue. Business Loop I-25 is secretly U.S. 85-87, and it heads south from this exit to serve downtown Colorado Springs. The business loop generally stays less than a half mile east of Interstate 25, and it returns to Interstate 25 and U.S. 24 at Exit 140A. South of Exit 140A, U.S. 85-87 follow Nevada Avenue, Lake Avenue, and Venetucci Boulevard before they return to Interstate 25 at Exit 128. Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| Interstate 25/U.S. 85-87 North
|
|---|
| From here, Interstate 25 is now joined by its frequent counterparts: U.S. 85 and U.S. 87. No reassurance markers for either route appear on the mainline, with the exception of a U.S. 87 shield posted on northbound Interstate 25 after the Mousetrap Interchange (Junction Interstate 70) in Denver. The next exit along northbound Interstate 25/U.S. 85-87/Monument Valley Freeway is Exit 149, Woodmen Road. Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| North of the Business Loop I-25/Nevada Avenue interchange, Interstate 25/U.S. 85-87 had just finished a reconstruction project at the time this photo was taken. Northbound and southbound traffic shared the southbound lanes, while the northbound lanes were reconstructed and expanded. The exiting traffic using the northbound lanes to exit are connecting to Exit 149, Woodmen Road. Photo taken 08/29/04.
|
| The next exit along northbound Interstate 25/U.S. 85-87/Monument Valley Freeway is Exit 150, Academy Boulevard/Junction "To Colorado 83." At the name implies, Academy Boulevard heads north into the United States Air Force Academy and south to meet Colorado 83 just southeast of the Interstate 25/U.S. 85-87 interchange. Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| Northbound Interstate 25/U.S. 85-87 reaches Exit 150, Academy Boulevard. Use Academy Boulevard south to the first traffic signal, which is the intersection with Colorado 83. Colorado 83 parallels Interstate 25 between Colorado Springs and Denver, but it chooses an alignment that serves Black Forest and Franktown while avoiding Castle Rock. To the northwest, Academy Boulevard enters the U.S. Air Force Academy. Photo taken 08/29/04.
|
| The next exit along northbound Interstate 25/U.S. 85-87/Monument Valley Freeway is Briargate Parkway, one mile. Several business parks and other commercial enterprises have set up at the Interstate 25/Briargate Parkway interchange. A trumpet interchange, Briargate Parkway really acts as another connection between Interstate 25 and Colorado 83, then crosses the northern end of metropolitan Colorado Springs before turning south on Powers Boulevard. Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| Interstate 25/U.S. 85-87 leaves the city and enters the Air Force Reservation. Briargate Parkway exits the freeway and heads east to meet Colorado 83. It serves the Pine Creek Golf Club and connects to Research Parkway via south Colorado 83. Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| The next three exits along northbound Interstate 25 are Exit 151, Briargate Parkway; Exit 153, Interquest Parkway; and Exit 156A, Gleneagle Drive. Photo taken 08/29/04.
|
| Northbound Interstate 25/U.S. 85-87/Monument Valley Freeway reaches Exit 151, Briargate Parkway. The following exit is Exit 153, Interquest Parkway. Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| The next exit along northbound Interstate 25 and friends is Exit 153, Interquest Parkway. Like the Briargate Parkway interchange, this is also a trumpet interchange that only offers a connection to the east, since the Air Force Academy occupies the land west of here. Use InterQuest Parkway east to the community of Black Forest. Photo taken 08/29/04.
|
| Northbound Interstate 25/U.S. 85-87/Monument Valley Freeway reaches Exit 153, Interquest Parkway. Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| This mileage sign along northbound Interstate 25/U.S. 85-87/Monument Valley Freeway provides the distance to the next three exits: Exit 156A, Gleneagle Drive; Exit 156B, North Entrance to the United States Air Force Academy; and Exit 158, Baptist Road to the city of Monument. Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| Gleneagle Drive is the first of two offramps at Exit 156. The second ramp connects to the north entrance to the Air Force Academy. Photo taken 08/29/04.
|
| The next exit along northbound is a cloverleaf interchange for the north entrance to the Air Force Academy and Northgate Road east, which leads to Colorado 83. Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| Northbound Interstate 25/U.S. 85-87/Monument Valley Freeway reaches Exit 156A, Gleneagle Drive. The next exit is Exit 156B, North Entrance to the United States Air Force Academy. This exit may be used to reach Falcon Stadium, where the Air Force Academy Falcons play collegiate football with other teams in the Mountain West Conference. Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| Interstate 25/U.S. 85-87 will reach the north end of the military reservation about one mile after passing by the north entrance exit (around milepost 157). Meanwhile, this picture shows Exit 156B, the northern entrance to the Air Force Academy, along northbound. The freeway begins to pull out of the suburban areas and enter rural El Paso County. Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| The next exit along northbound Interstate 25 is Exit 158, Baptist Road. Follow Baptist Road west to just prior to the railroad tracks to see an old alignment of U.S. 85-87 (called "Old Denver Highway"). Old Denver Highway follows the railroad on the east side and offers an alternate route to the freeway, passing through Monument and ending at County Line Road. Photo taken 08/29/04.
|
| The next exit along northbound Interstate 25/U.S. 85-87/Monument Valley Freeway is Exit 161, Junction Colorado 105. Colorado 105 leads east to meet Colorado 83 and west into Monument and Palmer Lake. Colorado 105 ends when it turns northwest to cross the county line into Douglas County (it changes into Douglas County Route 105/Perry Park Road). Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| Northbound Interstate 25/U.S. 85-87/Monument Valley Freeway reaches Exit 161, Junction Colorado 105. The old alignment of U.S. 85-87 follows Colorado 105 west to Palmer Lake, then turns northeast along Spruce Mountain Road (parallel to the railroad tracks) to return to Interstate 25 near Larkspur. Photo taken 08/29/04.
|
| North of the Academy, Interstate 25/U.S. 85-87 is again under construction, hopefully to expand the freeway to six lanes. The bridge in the background is Colorado 105, which leads into Monument and Palmer Lake. Photo taken 08/29/04.
|
| The final exit along northbound Interstate 25 in El Paso County is Exit 163, County Line Road. Photo taken 08/29/04.
|
| Now reaching a summit, Interstate 25/U.S. 85-87 ascends to 7,352 feet at Monument Hill between Exits 161 and 163 before reaching Douglas County. Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
| Northbound Interstate 25/U.S. 85-87/Monument Valley Freeway reaches Exit 163, County Line Road. The freeway narrows from six to four lanes here. Photo taken 11/11/03.
|
Page Updated June 20, 2005.
