U.S. Route 212 (US 212) is a spur of
US 12. It runs for from
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowst ...
to
Minnesota Highway 62 at
Edina, Minnesota
Edina ( ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States and a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis. The population was 53,494 at the 2020 census, making it the 18th most populous city in Minnesota.
Edina began as a small farming and mil ...
. It does not intersect US 12 now, but it once had an eastern terminus at US 12 in
St. Paul, Minnesota. US 212 passes through the states of
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
,
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...
,
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...
, and
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...
. It goes through the cities of
Watertown, South Dakota
Watertown is a city in and the county seat of Codington County, South Dakota, United States. Watertown is home to the Redlin Art Center which houses many of the original art works produced by Terry Redlin, one of America's most popular wildlife ...
and
Billings, Montana
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Met ...
.
Route description
Montana and Wyoming
While the official western terminus of US 212 is at the
Northeast Entrance of
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowst ...
near the Wyoming–Montana state line, some commercially produced maps show the highway within the park itself, contiguous with Northeast Entrance Road, starting from its western end at Tower Junction on the Grand Loop. From the park, US 212 heads east through
Cooke City, Montana, then crosses the Wyoming state line and re-emerges into Montana approximately later. The section of US 212 between Cooke City and
Red Lodge is known as the
Beartooth Highway
The Beartooth Highway is an All-American Road in the western United States on a section of U.S. Route 212 in Montana and Wyoming between Red Lodge and the Northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park. It crests at Beartooth Pass in Wyom ...
. Rising to an elevation of above sea level at Beartooth Pass, the highway traces the historical route of
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
General
Philip Sheridan
General of the Army Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close as ...
over the
Beartooth Mountains. In his book ''Dateline America'' published in 1979, the late
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
correspondent
Charles Kuralt
Charles Bishop Kuralt (September 10, 1934 – July 4, 1997) was an American television, newspaper and radio journalist and author. He is most widely known for his long career with CBS, first for his "On the Road" segments on '' The CBS Eveni ...
referred to the highway as "the most beautiful drive in America".
Running northeast from the Beartooth Mountains, US 212 joins
US 310 before passing into the town of
Laurel, Montana. Here US 212 joins
Interstate 90 (I-90) eastbound, while US 310 ends. Together, US 212 and I-90 run east through
Billings
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Met ...
to the town of
Crow Agency
Crow Agency ( cro, awaasúuchia) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Big Horn County, Montana, United States and is near the actual location for the Little Bighorn National Monument and re-enactment produced by the Real Bird family known as Ba ...
between mile markers 434 and 510, a distance of .
Within the
Crow Indian Reservation, US 212 leaves I-90 and runs east and southeast through the high plains of Montana. It is the main east–west road through the
Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation
The Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation ( chy, Tsėhéstáno; formerly named the Tongue River) is the federally recognized Northern Cheyenne tribe. Located in southeastern Montana, the reservation is approximately ...
. Southeast of
Alzada, US 212 recrosses the Wyoming state line; after about , US 212 enters
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...
.
For the entire length of US 212 in Montana between I-90 and the Wyoming state line, it is also known as the Warrior Trail Highway.
South Dakota
US 212 enters South Dakota near the junction of the Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota state lines, and continues southeast to
Belle Fourche
Belle Fourche (; ) is a city in and the county seat of Butte County, South Dakota, United States. Its population was 5,617 at the 2020 census. It is near the geographic center of the United States, which moved some 550 miles northwest from the g ...
. Here it intersects
US 85, and then continues eastward, skirting the southern end of the
Belle Fourche Reservoir.
It continues east, passing the town of
Nisland, until connecting with
South Dakota Highway 79
South Dakota Highway 79 (SD 79) is a state highway in western South Dakota, United States, that runs from Maverick Junction near the Black Hills National Forest to the North Dakota state line.
Route description
SD 79's southern term ...
(SD 79) south of
Newell. It runs north into Newell, then turns generally east again, passing through the town of
Faith
Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion".
Religious people ofte ...
and entering the
Cheyenne River Indian Reservation
The Cheyenne River Indian Reservation was created by the United States in 1889 by breaking up the Great Sioux Reservation, following the attrition of the Lakota in a series of wars in the 1870s. The reservation covers almost all of Dewe ...
. US 212 then passes through
Dupree and
North Eagle Butte, finally crossing the Missouri River.
Continuing east, it then intersects (and is co-signed briefly) with
US 83 near
Gettysburg and then continues eastward, passing through Gettysburg,
Seneca
Seneca may refer to:
People and language
* Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname
* Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America
** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people
Places Extrat ...
, and
Faulkton. It intersects with
SD 45, where it is cosigned for a brief southern leg, before turning eastward again and passing through
Rockham,
Zell Zell may refer to:
Places Austria
* Zell am See, in Salzburg state
* Zell am Ziller, in Tyrol
* Zell, Carinthia, in Carinthia
* in Upper Austria:
** Bad Zell
** Zell am Moos
** Zell an der Pram
** Zell am Pettenfirst
Germany
* Zell im Fichtelg ...
and
Redfield, where it intersects with
US 281.
Continuing east, US 212 passes through
Clark, before entering
Watertown Watertown may refer to:
Places in China
In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways.
Places in the United States
*Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town
**Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...
, following 9th Avenue SW. Just east of Watertown, it intersects with
I-29
Interstate 29 (I-29) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern United States. I-29 runs from Kansas City, Missouri, at a junction with I-35 and I-70, to the Canada–US border near Pembina, North Dakota, where it connects with Manitoba ...
and continues east o the Minnesota state line.
Legally, the South Dakota section of US 212 is defined at South Dakota Codified Laws § 31-4-206.
Minnesota
The of US 212 in Minnesota are officially designated Minnesota Veterans Memorial Highway. Yellowstone Trail is the original name designation for this same stretch of US 212 from the auto trail days. Yellowstone Trail was one of the first designated names written into law in the state.
The route in Minnesota connects the cities of
Montevideo,
Granite Falls,
Olivia Olivia may refer to:
People
* Olivia (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
* Olivia (singer) (Olivia Longott, born 1981), American singer
* Olívia (basketball) (Carlos Henrique Rodrigues do Nascimento, born 19 ...
,
Glencoe,
Norwood Young America, and the southwest suburbs of
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
.
Legally, the Minnesota section of US 212 is defined as Routes 155, 12, 187, and 260 in Minnesota Statutes §§ 161.114(2) and 161.115(86), (118), and (191).
Major intersections
;Montana (western segment)
: Northeast Entrance Road at the
northeast entrance to
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowst ...
, west of
Silver Gate
;Wyoming
: No major intersections
;Montana (eastern segment)
: north-northwest of
Edgar. The highways travel concurrently to
Laurel
Laurel may refer to:
Plants
* Lauraceae, the laurel family
* Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel
People
* Laurel (given name), people with the given name
* Laurel (surname), people with the surname
* Laurel (mus ...
.
: in Laurel. I-90/US 212 travels concurrently to
Crow Agency
Crow Agency ( cro, awaasúuchia) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Big Horn County, Montana, United States and is near the actual location for the Little Bighorn National Monument and re-enactment produced by the Real Bird family known as Ba ...
.
: in
Lockwood. The highways travel concurrently to Crow Agency.
: in Lockwood
;South Dakota
: in
Belle Fourche
Belle Fourche (; ) is a city in and the county seat of Butte County, South Dakota, United States. Its population was 5,617 at the 2020 census. It is near the geographic center of the United States, which moved some 550 miles northwest from the g ...
: west of
Gettysburg. The highways travel concurrently for approximately .
: in
Redfield. The highways travel concurrently through Redfield.
: in
Watertown Watertown may refer to:
Places in China
In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways.
Places in the United States
*Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town
**Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...
: in Watertown
;Minnesota
: south of
Madison
: west-southwest of
Montevideo. The highways travel concurrently to Montevideo.
: in
Olivia Olivia may refer to:
People
* Olivia (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
* Olivia (singer) (Olivia Longott, born 1981), American singer
* Olívia (basketball) (Carlos Henrique Rodrigues do Nascimento, born 19 ...
. The highways travel concurrently through Olivia.
: in
Eden Prairie
: in Eden Prairie
See also
*
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
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