Interstate 25 and U.S. 87, paired since leaving Glenrock, Wyoming, enter the Centennial State of Colorado. The two routes will remain merged throughout Colorado; the section of U.S. 85-87 often shown on maps in Colorado Springs is signed only as U.S. 85 or as Business Loop I-25. Interstate 25 serves the Front Range of Colorado, traveling south from Cheyenne to Fort Collins, Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and Trinidad. Photo taken 09/05/04.
No shields for U.S. 87 are posted on Interstate 25 with the exception of one shield on northbound Interstate 25 after the junction with Interstate 70. On southbound Interstate 25, U.S. 87 is not signed. The next U.S. 87 shield to be seen along southbound is in Raton, New Mexico. Photo taken 09/05/04.
The welcome center for Colorado is not located near the state line; it is located in Fort Collins instead. Follow Interstate 25 south to Exit 293 and follow the signs to the visitors center. Photo taken 09/05/04.
The first exit along southbound Interstate 25 and U.S. 87 is Exit 293, Junction Weld County Route 128 east to Carr and west to Larimer County Route 29 and Norfolk. Photo taken 09/05/04.
Southbound Interstate 25 and U.S. 87 reaches Exit 293, Junction Weld County Route 128 east to Carr and west to Larimer County Route 29 and Norfolk. There is very little at Norfolk, but Carr is a small farming and ranching community. Photo taken 09/05/04.
The next exit along southbound is Exit 288, Junction Larimer County Route 82, Buckeye Road. This exit serves local ranches and farms, and no services are available at this interchange. Photo taken 09/05/04.
The next exit along southbound Interstate 25 is Exit 281, Junction Larimer County Route 70, Owl Canyon Road. This county route travels west toward Owl Canyon, where it meets U.S. 287. Photo taken 09/05/04.
Southbound Interstate 25 and U.S. 87 reach Exit 281, Junction Larimer County Route 70, Owl Canyon Road at this diamond interchange. Photo taken 09/05/04.
The next exit along southbound Interstate 25/U.S. 87 is Exit 278, Junction Colorado 1. Colorado 1 is a fairly short route today, but that belies its history as an important corridor that spanned the state along today's Interstate 25 and U.S. 85-87 route. Colorado 1 gradually lost significance as the U.S. numbered highways came into existence; much of it was cosigned with U.S. 87 or U.S. 85 until (possibly) the mid-1960s. Prior to the relocation of U.S. 87 onto Interstate 25 in the 1960s, today's Colorado 1 follows the old alignment of U.S. 87. (U.S. 87 used to follow today's U.S. 287 route from 1936 until the mid-1960s.) Between 1940 and the mid-1960s, U.S. 87 was merged with U.S. 287 between Denver and Fort Collins. Photo taken 09/05/04.
Southbound Interstate 25/U.S. 87 reach Exit 278, Junction Colorado 1 into Wellington. Some services are available at this exit, but there are not too many more services north of here on Interstate 25 until reaching the urban area of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Photo taken 09/05/04.
The next exit along southbound Interstate 25 and U.S. 87 is Exit 271, Mountain Vista Drive. Use Mountain Vista Drive to reach the Anheuser Busch brewery, which is located near the west frontage road of Interstate 25. After passing through remote northern Larimer and Weld Counties, Interstate 25 enters the Fort Collins metropolitan area. The City of Fort Collins is home to 126,848 people (2003 estimate published on the official city webpage), rests at an average elevation of 5,000 feet above sea level, and is perhaps best known as the home of Colorado State University, one of the largest universities in the state. Photo taken 09/05/04.
Southbound Interstate 25 and U.S. 87 reaches Exit 271, Mountain Vista Drive. Photo taken 09/05/04.
Fort Collins is "The Choice City," and it was incorporated as a town in 1873, only nine years after it was founded as a military fort in 1864. As a city today, Fort Collins encompasses over 51.28 square miles of area. Its weather is relatively moderate, with nearly 300 days of sunshine and approximately 14.5 inches of precipitation (rainfall and snowfall combined) annually. The Lincoln Center and Museum of Fort Collins are located in town via Exit 269B. Photo taken 09/05/04.
The State of Colorado Welcome Center is located at Exit 268, three miles south of here. It is not located at the Rest Area at Exit 266, which is five miles south of here. Photo taken 09/05/04.
The next interchange along the freeway serves major east-west arterial Colorado 14 at Exits 269A-B. Colorado 14 travels west to Fort Collins and east toward Sterling along the South Platte River on the Interstate 76 corridor in Northeastern Colorado. Exit 269B is the first Fort Collins exit; from here southward, the traffic counts of Interstate 25 increase significantly, and the freeway enters a more suburban atmosphere. As part of its governmental services, the city of Fort Collins provides for electricity for its residents. Along with three other regional municipalities (Estes Park, Longmont, and Loveland), the city is part of the Platte River Power Authority . This authority transmits hydroelectric power generated through the Western Area Power Administration, and it also has generating facilities in the Front Range, in Craig (coal fire) and in Medicine Bow, Wyoming (wind turbines). Photo taken 09/05/04.
Colorado State University is located on the northwest corner of the intersection of U.S. 287/College Avenue and Prospect Road, so the most direct route to the university campus is via Exit 268, Prospect Road. However, this route can be congested, and both Colorado 14 (Mulberry Street, Exit 269) and Colorado 68 (Harmony Road, Exit 266) are faster routes that both connect to U.S. 287/College Avenue. Hughes Stadium, where Colorado State University football is played, is located near the west edge of the city. This makes it a bit more difficult to reach from the freeway. The most direct route is to take Prospect Road west to Overland Trail south, but another option is to take Exit 266, Harmony Road west to Taft Hill Road north to Drake Road west to Overland Trail north. Photo taken 09/05/04.
Southbound Interstate 25 and U.S. 87 reach the offramp to Colorado 14 west. Colorado 14 west joins with U.S. 287 north, and the two routes pass the community of Laporte before splitting. U.S. 287 continues northwest into Laramie, Wyoming, while Colorado 14 again turns west, into the mountains. The highway becomes a beautiful, scenic corridor that follows the Cache La Poudre River through the Roosevelt National Forest. Colorado 14 ascends to an elevation of 10,276 feet as its crosses Colorado's section of the Medicine Bow Mountains (which include the Snowy Range west of Laramie in Wyoming) at Cameron Pass. Continuing west, Colorado 14 descends into a basin, where it passes through the town of Walden (Junction Colorado 125). The long state highway comes to an end at U.S. 40 near Rabbit Ears Pass (elevation 9,426 feet, the Continental Divide) southeast of Steamboat Springs, a world famous ski resort town. U.S. 40 then continues west toward Craig and thence onward to Utah. Photo taken 09/05/04.
Now at the second loop of the Colorado 14 interchange, Interstate 25 and U.S. 87 reach Exit 269A, Junction Colorado 14 east. Eastbound Colorado 14 serves the plains of northern and northeastern Colorado, leaving Larimer County, passing through Ault and several other small Weld County communities, and ending in Sterling, the seat of Logan County. The highway passes ranches and farms as well as land preserved as part of the Pawnee National Grassland. At Sterling, Colorado 14 ends at its junction with Business Loop I-76 and U.S. 6. U.S. 6 picks up the trajectory of Colorado 14, and the federal highway continues due east toward Holyoke in Phillips County and thence onward to Nebraska. U.S. 138, which begins in Sterling and follows the South Platte River and Interstate 76, angles northeast from Sterling to join transcontinental routes Interstate 80 and U.S. 30 near Big Springs. Photo taken 09/05/04.
The next exit along southbound Interstate 25 and U.S. 87 is Exit 268, Prospect Road. Use Prospect Road west to Fort Collins and to the State of Colorado Welcome Center. Photo taken 09/05/04.
The next exit along southbound Interstate 25 is Exit 262, Junction former Colorado 68 (Harmony Road) east. The interchange with U.S. 34 is listed as a destination (ten miles south of here) and so is the control city of Denver. Photo taken 09/05/04.
A weigh station is located just prior to Exit 265. Photo taken 09/05/04.
The last exit to serve the city of Fort Collins along southbound is Exit 265, Harmony Road. Until 2005, Harmony Road was part of the state highway system (Colorado 68, which connected U.S. 287/College Avenue and Interstate 25/U.S. 87). The highway was returned to local control, and Colorado 68 was decommissioned. Photo taken 09/05/04.
In addition, a rest area is located prior to Exit 265. Even though this is the first rest area along southbound Interstate 25 in Colorado, it is not a tourist information center. Photo taken 09/05/04.
Southbound Interstate 25 and U.S. 87 reach Exit 266, which is the rest area. The next exit is Harmony Road (Exit 265). Photo taken 09/05/04.
Southbound Interstate 25/U.S. 87 reaches Exit 268, Junction Colorado 68 (Harmony Road). Use Harmony Road west to U.S. 287/College Avenue, southern Fort Collins, Colorado State University (via U.S. 287 north), Front Range Community College (at intersection with Shields Street), and Horsetooth Reservoir. Photo taken 09/05/04.
The next exit along southbound Interstate 25 and U.S. 87 is Exit 262, Junction Colorado 392 East and Larimer County Route 32 West. Colorado 392 is an east-west state route that travels east from Interstate 25 to Windsor, at the junction with Colorado 257. From there Colorado 392 connects to U.S. 85 at Lucerne and continues east toward Barnesville. To the west, Larimer County Route 32 travels past Duck Lake to become Carpenter Road, which meets U.S. 287 midway between the cities of Loveland and Fort Collins. Photo taken 09/05/04.
This exit is the first of two to connect to the Larimer County Events Center and Fairgrounds, which appears on the east side of the freeway via the frontage road south to Crossroads Boulevard. Photo taken 09/05/04.
Exit 262 also serves the Fort Collins-Loveland Airport: Follow Colorado 392 west to the western frontage road, then turn south on the I-25 frontage road until Earhart Road. Turn west on Earhart Road, which leads directly into the airport. Photo taken 09/05/04.
The next exit along southbound is Exit 259, Crossroads Boulevard. This exit also connects to the Fort Collins-Loveland Airport: Follow Crossroads Boulevard west to the western frontage road, then turn north on the I-25 frontage road until Earhart Road. Turn west on Earhart Road, which leads directly into the airport. Exit 259 also serves the Larimer County Events Center and Fairgrounds, which appears on the east side of the freeway via Crossroads Boulevard east. Photo taken 09/05/04.
The next exit along southbound Interstate 25/U.S. 87 is Exits 257A-B, Junction U.S. 34 east to Greeley and west to Loveland and Estes Park. Photo taken 09/05/04.
Use U.S. 34 west (Exit 257B) to Boyd Lake State Park, a 17,000-acre lake that is popular with swimmers, water-skiers, and fishermen during the warm summer months. A museum and tourist information center is also located at the state park. To reach the park, follow U.S. 34 west to Madison Avenue northbound, which connects to the park headquarters via Larimer County Route 24E east and County Route 11C north. To reach the east shore of the lake, use Boyd Lake Avenue northbound. Photo taken 09/05/04.
The first ramp in this cloverleaf interchange (Exit 257B) connects southbound Interstate 25 and U.S. 87 to westbound U.S. 34 (Eisenhower Boulevard) to Loveland and points west. U.S. 34 west terminates at its junction with U.S. 40 in Granby on the western slope of the Front Range, southwest of Grand Lake. During winter months, U.S. 34 west is closed over Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, so Interstate 70 and U.S. 40 is a suitable alternate route to Granby and Grand Lake. Photo taken 09/05/04.
Southbound Interstate 25/U.S. 87 reaches Exit 257A, Junction U.S. 34 east to the city of Greeley. Photo taken 09/05/04.
The next exit along southbound Interstate 25 and U.S. 87 is Exit 255, Junction Colorado 402. Photo taken 09/05/04.
Southbound Interstate 25 and U.S. 87 reach Exit 255, Junction Colorado 402. Photo taken 09/05/04.
The next exit along southbound is Exit 254, Junction To Colorado 60 west to Campion. Between Denver and Fort Collins, Interstate 25 carries substantial traffic that moves at very high speeds, sometimes in excess of 80 mph in the left lane. Trucks, recreational vehicles, commuters, and pick-ups all share the road with other motorists, and the four lanes often swell to capacity. Long-range plans call for Interstate 25 to be expanded to six lanes, perhaps as far north as Fort Collins, but in the interim, there is quite a bit of traffic squeezed into the existing four lanes moving at high speeds. Photo taken 09/05/04.
Southbound Interstate 25 and U.S. 87 reach Exit 254, Junction To Colorado 60 west to Campion. Photo taken 09/05/04.
The next exit along southbound is Exit 252, Junction Colorado 60 east to Johnstown and Milliken. This interchange does not mark the western terminus of Colorado 60; instead, Colorado 60 merges onto the frontage road (Old U.S. 87) for a short distance, and the state highway turns west again via 42nd Street SE toward U.S. 287 (South Lincoln Avenue) in Campion (just south of Loveland). There is no direct connection from Interstate 25 to 42nd Street SE. Therefore, southbound travelers have two options: take the frontage road southbound at Exit 254 or use the next, Exit 252 (Campion exit), which is the next offramp. Photo taken 09/05/04.
The freeway departs from Larimer County and enters Weld County. Photo taken 09/05/04.
