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U.S. Route 34 (US 34) is a part of the
U.S. Highway System The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these hi ...
that travels from
Granby, Colorado The Town of Granby is the Statutory Town that is the most populous municipality in Grand County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 2,079 at the 2020 United States Census. Granby is situated along U.S. Highway 40 in the Middle ...
, to
Berwyn, Illinois Berwyn is a suburban city in Cook County, Illinois, coterminous with Berwyn Township, which was formed in 1908 after breaking off from Cicero Township. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 57,250. History Before being s ...
. In the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sov ...
of
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
, US 34 is a road that spans across northern Colorado. It begins at
US 40 U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America, is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid-Atlantic States. As with most routes wh ...
in Granby and ends at the Nebraska border, where it continues as US 34, east of
Laird Laird () is the owner of a large, long-established Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a baron and above a gentleman. This rank was held only by those lairds holding official recognition in a ...
.


Route description


Granby to Rocky Mountain National Park

The route begins in Granby at
US 40 U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America, is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid-Atlantic States. As with most routes wh ...
. It then follows the
Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. sta ...
Valley near Granby Lake and enters Arapaho National Recreational Area.


Trail Ridge Road

After entering
Rocky Mountain National Park Rocky Mountain National Park is an American national park located approximately northwest of Denver in north-central Colorado, within the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The park is situated between the towns of Estes Park to the east and ...
in Colorado's
Front Range The Front Range is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado, and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is the first mountain range encountered ...
, US 34 follows the
North Fork Colorado River North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...
through
Kawuneeche Valley Kawuneeche Valley, also known as Kawuneeche or Coyote Valley, is a marshy valley of the Colorado River near its beginning. It is located on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. The axis of the valley runs almost directly nor ...
. It passes over
Milner Pass Milner Pass, elevation is a mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States. It is located on the continental divide in the Front Range, within Rocky Mountain National Park, along the boundary between Larimer and G ...
and reaches the
Alpine Visitor Center Rocky Mountain National Park's Alpine Visitor Center is located at 11,796 feet (3,595 m) above sea level at Fall River Pass, one mile west of the highest point on Trail Ridge Road and four miles east of the Continental Divide at Milner Pass in ...
. Then it continues east, passing its highest point at 12,183 feet near
Fall River Pass Fall River Pass (elevation ) is a mountain pass in northern Colorado, in the Rocky Mountains of the western United States. It is located in the Front Range, within Rocky Mountain National Park. The pass is traversed by U.S. Highway 34 on Trail R ...
. It exits the park at
US 36 U.S. Route 36 (US 36) is an east–west United States highway that travels approximately from Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado to Uhrichsville, Ohio. The highway's western terminus is at Deer Ridge Junction, an intersection i ...
at Deer Ridge Junction. US 34 here is the highest continuous highway in the United States. This section of US 34 requires a $30 national park entrance fee, making this segment into a toll road.


Estes Park to Loveland

From here, it passes by
Estes Park Estes Park is a statutory town in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 5,904 at the 2020 United States Census. Estes Park is a part of the Fort Collins, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Cor ...
, has a
business route A business route (or business loop, business spur, or city route) in the United States is a short special route connected to a ''parent'' numbered highway at its beginning, then routed through the central business district of a nearby city o ...
, and then continues east through
Big Thompson Canyon The Big Thompson River is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately 78 miles (123 km) long, in the U.S. state of Colorado. Originating in Forest Canyon in Rocky Mountain National Park, the river flows into Lake Estes in the town ...
before entering Loveland as Eisenhower Boulevard, becoming a four-lane expressway. Here, it intersects
I-25 Interstate 25 (I-25) is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States. It is primarily a north–south highway, serving as the main route through New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. I-25 stretches from I-10 at Las Cruces, New Mexic ...
and U.S. Highway 287.


Greeley to Nebraska border

At Greeley, it passes by U.S. Highway 85 in a complex interchange and U.S. 34 Business, and crosses the
South Platte River The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River. Flowing through the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska, it is itself a major river of the American Midwest and the American Southwest/ Mountain West. Its ...
. It also has an interchange with SH 257. From here, it is no longer an expressway. It intersects SH 144 and SH 39, then joins I-76 at Wiggins. It leaves, and follows the
North Fork Republican River The North Fork Republican River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 29, 2011 tributary of the Republican River. It flows eastward from a source in Yuma County, Colo ...
east into Nebraska, where it intersects
SH 71 The following highways are numbered 71: International * Asian Highway 71 * European route E71 Afghanistan * Delaram-Zaranj Highway (A71) Australia * Anzac Avenue (Queensland) * Mitchell Highway Canada * Newfoundland and Labrador Route 71 ...
, SH 52, SH 63, SH 61,
SH 59 The following highways are numbered 59: International * European route E59 Australia * Bells Line of Road Canada * Alberta Highway 59 * Manitoba Highway 59 China * G59 Expressway India * National Highway 59 (India) Iran * Road 59 ...
, and U.S. Highway 385.


History

Parts of the route were originally designated as US 38. US 34 was extended into Colorado in 1939.


Major intersections


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:U.S. Route 34 In Colorado 34 Colorado Transportation in Grand County, Colorado Transportation in Larimer County, Colorado Transportation in Weld County, Colorado Transportation in Morgan County, Colorado Transportation in Washington County, Colorado Transportation in Yuma County, Colorado