Colorado State Highway 7

State Highway 7 (SH 7) is an 81.64 miles (131.39 km) long state highway in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the north-central portion of the state, traversing the mountains on the east of the continental divide south of Estes Park as well as portions of the Colorado Piedmont north of Denver. The northwestern segment of the highway is part of the Peak-to-Peak Scenic Byway and furnishes an access route to Estes Park, Colorado and Rocky Mountain National Park. In its southeast portion it skirts the northern end of the Denver Metropolitan Area, providing an access route connecting Boulder, Lafayette and Brighton with Interstate 25 and Interstate 76.

State Highway 7
Map of northern Colorado with SH 7 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by CDOT
Length	81.64 mi[1] (131.39 km)
Major junctions
West end	US 36 in Estes Park
	US 36 in Lyons and Boulder I-25 / US 87 in Broomfield
East end	I-76 / US 6 in Brighton
Location
Counties	Larimer, Boulder, Weld, Broomfield, Adams
Highway system
Colorado State Highways Interstate U.S. State Scenic ← US 6 → SH 8

State Highway 7 in South St. Vrain Canyon near Lyons.

The western terminus is at the junction of U.S. Highway 36 at N. St. Vrain and S. St. Vrain avenues in Estes Park. The eastern terminus is at Interstate 76 exit 25 in Brighton. The portion between Lyons and Boulder, where it is concurrent with US 36, is unsigned. The highway is two lanes along the entire route except for portions in the cities and towns.

Route description

From Estes Park, Route 7 climbs into the mountains of southwest Larimer County and skirts the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park, providing the closest vehicle approach to the popular trailhead to the summit of Longs Peak. Near the community of Raymond it intersects State Highway 72, which takes the Peak-to-Peak Scenic Byway designation with it to the south, while Route 7 turns to the east and follows South St. Vrain Creek downstream onto the piedmont at Lyons, where it intersects U.S. Highway 36. South of Lyons it is concurrent with U.S. 36 along the base of the foothills to Boulder. (This section is signed only as U.S. 36.) It is also concurrent with State Highway 119 on 28th Street within Boulder. It runs straight east from Boulder as the extension of Arapahoe Avenue to U.S. Highway 287 north of Lafayette, jogging one mile (1.6 km) to the south while concurrent with U.S. 287, then going due east again, as Baseline Road, to Interstate 25. East of I-25 it jogs one mile (1.6 km) south, then due east as 160th Avenue (part of the Greater Denver street numbering system) through Brighton to Interstate 76 in the eastern part of Brighton.

History

The route was established in the 1920s. It began at Estes Park and traveled south to Lyons south to Boulder. It then continued to its terminus at U.S. Highway 87 (now Interstate 25) east of Lafayette. The route was paved from Boulder to Lafayette in 1932 and from Estes Park to Lyons in 1936. In 1939, the route was extended southeast to Brighton, where it met U.S. Highway 6; this extension was paved by 1946. In 2006, the section on Broadway between US 36 and Canyon Boulevard in Boulder was turned back to the City of Boulder, and Route 7 was rerouted to be concurrent (unsigned) with US 36 on 28th Street through Boulder.[2]

Related route

State Highway 7 Business
Location	Allenspark
Length	1.592 mi (2.562 km)

Colorado State Highway 7 Business (SH 7 Bus.) is a 1.592-mile-long (2.562 km) east–west state highway in the U.S. state of Colorado. SH 7 Bus.'s western terminus is at SH 7 in Allenspark, and the eastern terminus is at SH 7 east of Allenspark.

The entire route is in Boulder County.

Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Allenspark	0.000	0.000	SH 7	Western terminus
​	1.592	2.562	SH 7	Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Major intersections

SH 7 and US 36 intersection

County	Location	mi[3]	km	Destinations	Notes
Larimer	Estes Park	0.00	0.00	US 36	Western terminus
Boulder	Allenspark	14.91	24.00	SH 7 Bus. east	Western terminus of SH 7 Bus.
	​	16.08	25.88	SH 7 Bus. west	Eastern terminus of SH 7 Bus.
	​	19.24	30.96	SH 72 south	Northern terminus of SH 72
	Lyons	32.99	53.09	US 36 west	West end of US 36 overlap
	​	34.49	55.51	SH 66 east	Western terminus of SH 66
	Boulder	47	76	US 36 east	East end of US 36 overlap
		50.89	81.90	SH 119 south / SH 93 south	West end of SH 119 overlap; Northern terminus of SH-93
		52.29	84.15	US 36 west / SH 119 north	East end of SH 119 overlap; North end of U.S. 36 overlap;
		52.48	84.46	US 36 west	South end of US 36 overlap
		53.45	86.02	SH 157 (Foothills Parkway)
	Lafayette	59.29	95.42	SH 42 south	Northern terminus of SH-42
		60.68	97.65	US 287 north	North end of US 287 overlap
		61.87	99.57	US 287 south	South end of US 287 overlap
City and County of Broomfield		68.38	110.05	I-25 / US 87 – Denver, Fort Collins	I-25 exit 229.
Adams	Brighton	76.98	123.89	US 85
		77.29	124.39	SH 2
		81.64	131.39	I-76 / US 6	Eastern terminus; I-76 Exit 25; No Interchange
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus             Incomplete access       Route transition

References

1. "Segment list for SH 7". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
2. Salek, Matthew E. "Colorado Routes 1-19". Retrieved 2010-05-17.
3. Salek, M.E. "Colorado Highways: Routes 1-19". Retrieved 2014-10-04.

External links