U.S. Highway 16

us-016

U.S. 16 runs from the East Entrance of Yellowstone National Park east to Interstate 90 and U.S. 14 in Rapid City, South Dakota. This route is truncated; it used to continue east to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Detroit, Michigan roughly along the route of I-90, I-94 and I-96.

U.S. 16 follows State Control Route 31 from Yellowstone National Park to Greybull, State Control Route 34 from Greybull to Worland, State Control Route 36 from Worland to Junction I-90 in Buffalo (with break at Junction State Control Route 59), State Control Route 1004 from Buffalo to Ucross, State Control Route 304 from Ucross to Wyoming 59, State Control Route 43 from Wyoming 59 to Gillette, Interstate 90 from Gillette to Moorcroft, State Control Route 44 from Moorcroft to South Dakota.

U.S. 16 Auxiliary Routes

In addition, there have been several state auxiliary routes for U.S. 16 over the years: Wyo. 116, 216, 316, 416, and 516.

History

Prior to the advent of U.S. numbered highways in 1926, roads in Wyoming were identified with names. In 1912, the Black and Yellow Trail was developed as a tourist route from Chicago to the Black Hills of South Dakota and Yellowstone National Park. The name "Black and Yellow Trail" is derived from the two major tourist attractions along its route: the Black Hills and Yellowstone.

This route led to the first automobile entrance into Yellowstone, which opened in 1915. By 1926, U.S. 16 was commissioned over the route of the Black and Yellow Trail (officially known as the Chicago, Black Hills, and Yellowstone Park Highway). The name Black and Yellow Trail slowly faded into obscurity as the easier to remember numerical U.S. system took hold, but some still refer to U.S. 16 today as the Black and Yellow Highway.

In 1926, the first year U.S. routes were designated in Wyoming, U.S. 16 began at U.S. 20 in Worland. U.S. 16 followed the current U.S. 16 through Buffalo, Gillette, and Moorcroft. At Moorcroft, U.S. 16 followed the modern-day Interstate 90 and U.S. 14 through Sundance into Sturgis. Modern-day U.S. 16 from Moorcroft to Newcastle was known as Wyoming 216.

By 1933, U.S. 16 had two "children" in Wyoming, U.S. 116 (Upton to Sheridan) and the newly upgraded U.S. 216 (Moorcroft to Newcastle). U.S. 116 had an extension of Wyo. 116 from U.S. 310 in Lovell to U.S. 87E in Sheridan.

Around the same time, Wyoming 316 and Wyoming 416 were waiting in the wings to become U.S. routes. Wyoming 316 ran from U.S. 87E at Midwest to U.S. 16 at Gillette (via modern Wyoming 387 and Wyoming 50), and Wyoming 416 ran from U.S. 20 in Greybull to Wyoming 116 in the Bighorn Mountains (via modern U.S. 14 through Shell Canyon).

When U.S. 14 was commissioned into Wyoming in 1936, U.S. 116 and 216 and Wyo. 416 ceased to exist. In 1936, U.S. 116 and Wyo. 116 became U.S. 14, Wyo. 416 became Wyo. 514, and U.S. 216 became part of U.S. 16. U.S. 16 was rerouted through Newcastle, while U.S. 14 (and Interstate 90) took over the former U.S. 16 through Sundance. Wyo. 316 was not immediately decommissioned along with its brethren; it was renumbered Wyo. 387 and Wyo. 50 much later.

After this major change, the routing for U.S. 16 remained stagnant in Wyoming for the next thirty years. Then, in 1965, U.S. 16 was extended westward so it could make its way to Yellowstone National Park. U.S. 16 was simply combined with U.S. 20 from Worland to Cody and with U.S. 14-20 from Cody to the East Entrance of Yellowstone National Park, so there was no new construction with this extension. All three routes end at that entrance, and only U.S. 20 resumes on the west side of the park.

Even after U.S. 16 was extended, U.S. 16 slowly lost ground. This was due to the advent of the Interstate Highway System. Today, U.S. 16 is a shadow of its former route; it used to continue east from Wyoming to Sioux Falls, La Crosse, and Milwaukee along the Interstate 90 corridor. Some of this route is still marked as State Route 16, especially in southeastern Minnesota and most of its Wisconsin route. Via ferry, it crossed Lake Michigan to Muskegon. Then it followed Interstate 96 southeast into Detroit, its historical terminus.

U.S. 16 Guide

U.S. 16 begins across the northern tier of Wyoming at the East Entrance to Yellowstone National Park. It overlaps with U.S. 14 and U.S. 20 between the park and Greybull via the Wapiti Valley and Cody. Several colorful rock formations -- including the Playground of the Gods and the Chinese Wall -- are along the Wapiti Valley portion of the route. The first-ever forest ranger station in the nation was built at Wapiti, right off the highway.

In 1991, the U.S. 14-16-20 alignment was moved to higher ground along the Buffalo Bill Dam and Reservoir to accommodate a taller dam and larger reservoir. This dam is interesting because it is one of the first dams ever built under the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. It was completed in 1910.

In the same area, U.S. 14-16-20 passes through Shoshone Canyon, which is the longest combination of tunnels in Wyoming, with more than a mile in cumulative length under Rattlesnake Mountain. The highway finally passes through Colter's Hell (a semi-active geyser basin) just two miles west of Cody. The entire U.S. 14-16-20 routing through Wapiti Valley and Shoshone Canyon has been reconstructed through the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Cody is the typical western tourist town in the summer: full of wax museums, historical sites, and even a statue of "Buffalo Bill" Cody. At Cody, you are afforded a choice. U.S. 14, U.S. 14A, and U.S. 16 all follow different paths between Cody and Gillette, and they each rendezvous with Interstate 90. U.S. 14 and U.S. 14A serve Sheridan, while U.S. 16 serves Worland and Buffalo. The U.S. 14A alignment to Lovell leaves U.S. 14-16-20 at Cody, while the three main routes continue to Greybull.

Continuing east on U.S. 14-16-20, it is clear that Park County is sustained by agriculture, ranching, and tourism. You'll notice cattle ranches and farms throughout the eastern part of the county. Many folks use this stretch of highway as the primary route between Yellowstone and points east, so tourists are quite common on this highway too. The highway enters Big Horn County west of Greybull.

At Greybull, U.S. 14 splits off from U.S. 16-20. U.S. 14 heads due east, while U.S. 16-20 team up with Wyoming 789 and head south toward Basin and Worland. The elevation along this portion of the route is relatively low, around 3,870 feet at Basin. After Basin, the highway enters Washakie County. U.S. 16-20 and Wyo. 789 cross over from the west bank of the Big Horn River to the east bank before it hits Worland. The next picture shows the highway near Greybull.

Worland has an interesting early history. It was founded in 1903, prior to the coming of the railroad. However, the railroad was routed on the wrong side of the Big Horn River. So the residents of Worland packed up their homes and belongings and literally moved the town from the west bank of the river to the east bank. This was achieved in the winter of 1906-7, when the river was frozen and therefore easier to cross. Today Worland is a thriving crossroads, marking the divergence for U.S. 16 and U.S. 20. U.S. 16 turns east toward Ten Sleep and Buffalo, while U.S. 20 and Wyo. 789 continue south to Thermopolis.

Ten Sleep was named because it was approximately a ten days journey between important Indian camps or geographical locations in the state. The main problem is, no one knows what these locations were. Suffice to say Ten Sleep is halfway between the two endpoints.

Washakie County is a leading producer of sugar beets, corn, small grains, alfalfa hay, and beans in Wyoming. Farmers irrigate much of the land here to ensure adequate watering. However, U.S. 16 quickly leaves this agricultural area behind as it enters Ten Sleep Canyon and the Big Horn Mountains.

U.S. 16 is routed along the northwest side of the Ten Sleep Creek through the canyon, but it used to be located on the southeast side of the creek. Today the old road is used as a cross-country ski and snowmobile trail. Upon reaching the top of the mountains, U.S. 16 makes a steep descent into Buffalo and Johnson County. The grade is measured at six to seven percent in many places. At the top of the mountains, at the Powder River Pass, U.S. 16 is at 9,666 feet elevation. U.S. 16 coming down the east side of the Bighorn Mountains has two runaway ramps. One is right side, and the other is left side. Since it's a two lane road, the trucks have to cross oncoming traffic to use it. The next picture shows the U.S. 16 Powder River Pass Summit.

Coming into Buffalo, U.S. 16 meets old and new highways. U.S. 16 intersects with the U.S. 87 business route in downtown Buffalo, and it meets Interstate 25 and Interstate 90 just outside of town. Interstate 90 will parallel U.S. 16 to some extent for the remainder of its journey to Rapid City, South Dakota. When Interstate 90 was completed across South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, U.S. 16 was mostly decommissioned in those states.

Heading northwest out of Buffalo, U.S. 16 avoids Interstate 90 to rejoin U.S. 14 at Ucross. The section of U.S. 16 between Buffalo and Gillette was planned to be the original route of Interstate 90 until the straighter, more direct route was constructed.

U.S. 16 then merges with U.S. 14 at Ucross. Historically, the section of U.S. 14 between Sheridan and Ucross was U.S. 116, but this route was decommissioned in 1936. U.S. 14 and U.S. 16 merge again, this time all the way to Gillette. This portion of the highway takes us through Sheridan County and Campbell County. The highway traverses mostly sagebrush and grassland through the Powder River basin; at the river itself, U.S. 16 is at an elevation of 3,600 feet. Compare that to the Powder River Pass -- nearly 6,000 feet difference!

Gillette, the Campbell County seat, is a booming coal and oil town smack dab in the middle of nowhere. However, they say there's enough low sulfur coal in Campbell County to power the United States for the next 200 years. As a result, Gillette will be a force in the energy economy for years to come. U.S. 14-16 meet Interstate 90 again in this town, and they end up merging with the superhighway. WYO 51, a secondary route, is the original U.S. 14-16 that serves Wyodak and Rozet.

The combined Interstate 90, U.S. 14, and U.S. 16 finally enter Moorcroft, in Crook County. Moorcroft developed as a town because it was a stop on the historic Texas Trail, which was used to show cattle the way from Texas to Montana. Agriculture and ranching led to an expansion of Moorcroft in the early 20th century.

In 1926, U.S. 16 used to continue east via the modern-day U.S. 14 alignment heading toward Sundance. At that time, the current U.S. 16 heading toward Newcastle was known as Wyo. 216. For a brief time in the early 1930s, this road was christened U.S. 216. However, in 1936, U.S. 14 was extended into Wyoming and U.S. 16 was rerouted to the south, taking over U.S. 216.

U.S. 16 finally enters Weston County as it heads to Newcastle through the Thunder Basin National Grassland. The road is slowly gaining elevation as it heads toward the Black Hills. The speed limit on this road, as on all non-mountainous two-lane rural roads in Wyoming, is 65 miles per hour. Newcastle, the Weston County seat, lies just a few miles from the South Dakota border. It is the crossroads between U.S. 16 and the once-mighty U.S. 85.

Since it was retracted over the past several decades with the construction of Interstate 90 and Interstate 96, U.S. 16 ends a mere 66 miles northeast of its crossing from Wyoming into South Dakota in Rapid City, South Dakota. Much of its remaining route in South Dakota runs through the beautiful Black Hills region, which includes Jewel Cave, Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore, and Black Hills National Forest.

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Page Updated Wednesday October 12, 2005.