Interstate 25

{{Lengths table|length_ref=}}

|-

|NM

|{{Convert|462.12|mi|km|disp=table}}

|-

|CO

|{{Convert|298.60|mi|km|disp=table}}

|-

|WY

|{{Convert|300.95|mi|km|disp=table}}

|-

|Total

|{{Convert|1,061.67|mi|km|disp=table}}

|}

{{Multiple image

| direction = vertical

| width = 250

| image1 = Interstate 25 approaching Santa Fe New Mexico.jpg

| caption1 = I-25 approaching Santa Fe, New Mexico

| image2 = I-25 southbound at Big I.jpg

| caption2 = At the Big I in Albuquerque, New Mexico

| image3 = JFK Memorial Highway IMG 5011.JPG

| caption3 = John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway in scenic southern Colorado

| image4 = Downtown Denver skyline.jpg

| caption4 = Rush hour on I-25 through downtown Denver

}}

{{Main|Interstate 25 in New Mexico}}

I-25 begins at I-10's exit 144 in Las Cruces, just south of the New Mexico State University campus.{{google maps |url = https://maps.google.com/maps?client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&channel=s&q=&ll=32.259483,-106.724453&spn=0.048848,0.080338&z=14&om=1 |title = I-25 at I-10 |access-date = July 7, 2007 |link = no }} I-25 runs concurrently with US Route 85 (US 85) at this point and carries this concurrency for the entire length of its run in New Mexico. Immediately, three exits provide access to the city, including one for US 70.{{google maps |url = https://maps.google.com/maps?client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&channe=s&q=&ll=32.314701,-106.729774&spn=0.195271,0.32135&z=12&om=1 |title = I-25 in Las Cruces |access-date = July 7, 2007 |link = no }} When I-25 reaches Truth or Consequences, it is parallel to Elephant Butte Lake State Park.{{google maps |url = https://maps.google.com/maps?client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&channel=s&q=&ll=33.321349,-107.071381&spn=0.772276,1.2854&z=10&om=1 |title = I-25 parallels Elephant Butte Lake State Park |access-date = July 7, 2007 |link = no }} From Las Cruces to Santa Fe, I-25 follows the route of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro.{{cite book |last = Wilkerson |first = Lyn |title = American Trails Revisited: Following in the Footsteps of the Western Pioneers |year = 2003 |publisher = iUniverse |location = Lincoln, NE |isbn = 0595282628 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=7POEV2_XMDQC&pg=PA154 |access-date = February 13, 2013 |page = 154 |via = Google Books }}

As I-25 nears Albuquerque, it has interchanges with highways, such as US 380, and a concurrency with US 60.{{google maps |url = https://maps.google.com/maps?client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&channel=s&q=&ll=34.411442,-106.438293&spn=1.524928,2.570801&z=9&om=1 |title = I-25 near Albuquerque |access-date = July 7, 2007 |link = no }} Further north, State Road 6 (NM 6), former US 66, meets up with I-25 in Los Lunas.{{google maps |url = https://maps.google.com/maps?client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&channel=s&q=&ll=34.947865,-106.702652&spn=0.37878,0.6427&z=11&om=1 |title = I-25 at SR 6 |access-date = July 7, 2007 |link = no }} Through Albuquerque, I-25 is named the Pan American Freeway, and there are frequent exits to city streets.{{google maps |url = https://maps.google.com/maps?client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&channel=s&q=&ll=35.047284,-106.632442&spn=0.04729,0.080338&z=14&om=1 |title = I-25 exits in Albuquerque |access-date = July 7, 2007 |link = no }}{{Rp|248}} A major interchange with I-40 (which is styled as the Coronado Freeway in the city) is named the Big I.{{cite book |last = Bryan |first = Howard |title = Albuquerque Remembered |publisher = University of New Mexico Press |location = Albuquerque |year = 1989 |isbn = 0826337821 |oclc = 62109913 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=rSQAbMtClsYC&pg=PA248 |access-date = February 13, 2013 |via = Google Books }}{{Rp|248}}{{google maps |url = https://maps.google.com/maps?client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&channel=s&q=&ll=35.104918,-106.626134&spn=0.023628,0.040169&z=15&om=1 |title = I-25 at I-40 |access-date= July 7, 2007 |link = no }} It was given an honorable mention by the US Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration for excellence in urban highway design in 2002.{{cite web |url = http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/eihd/2002/cat1pic8.htm |title = I-25/I-40 System-to-System Interchange |work = Excellence in highway design |publisher = Federal Highway Administration |year = 2002 |access-date = July 7, 2007 |archive-date = February 10, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090210145701/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/eihd/2002/cat1pic8.htm |url-status = live }}

Leaving Albuquerque to the north, I-25 curves to the northeast as it approaches Santa Fe.{{google maps |url = https://maps.google.com/maps?client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&channel=s&q=&ll=35.44389,-106.092224&spn=0.752943,1.2854&z=10&om=1 |title = I-25 nearing Santa Fe |access-date = July 7, 2007 |link = no }} Continuing 'northbound' at Santa Fe, I-25 heads southeast for approximately {{convert|45|mi|km}} traveling through the Santa Fe National Forest and crossing Glorieta Pass (elevation {{convert|7452|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=or}}).{{cite web |title = Glorieta Pass |url = http://www.santafetrailnm.org/site161.html |work = Santa Fe Trail National Scenic Byway |publisher = Santa Fe Trail Scenic Byway Profile |access-date = February 13, 2013 |archive-date = December 6, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131206172840/http://santafetrailnm.org/site161.html |url-status = dead }} It turns north again at Blanchard toward Las Vegas.{{google maps |url = https://maps.google.com/maps?client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&channel=s&q=&ll=35.639441,-105.157013&spn=0.375557,0.6427&z=11&om=1 |title = I-25 near Las Vegas |access-date = July 7, 2007 |link = no }} The highway maintains a north and northeast orientation as it leaves New Mexico traversing Raton Pass ({{convert|7798|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=or}}{{cite web |url = http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=335&ResourceType=Site |title = Raton Pass |access-date = October 13, 2007 |work = National Historic Landmark summary listing |publisher = National Park Service |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110606054940/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=335&ResourceType=Site |archive-date = June 6, 2011 |df = mdy-all }}) and enters Colorado. Due to its elevation and frequent winter snowstorms, I-25 is sometimes impassible and closed in both directions at Raton Pass during winter months. From Santa Fe to Trinidad, Colorado, I-25 approximates part of the route of the Santa Fe Trail.{{cite book |last = Glassman |first = Steve |title = It Happened on the Santa Fe Trail |year = 2008 |publisher = Morris Publishing |isbn = 978-0762745739 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=guZxfT5n0r4C&pg=PR9 |access-date = February 13, 2013 |page = ix |via = Google Books }} For its entire length in the state, I-25 shares its alignment with US 85, although the latter is unsigned.

{{Main|Interstate 25 in Colorado}}

I-25 has many nicknames through the state's larger cities. In Denver, it is called the Valley Highway, as the highway parallels the course of the South Platte River throughout the downtown area and is often sunken below ground level. The section in El Paso County is named the Ronald Reagan Highway, and, through Pueblo, it is named the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway.

In the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1973, a transcontinental highway was named after President Dwight D. Eisenhower, in commemoration of the route of the US Army's 1919 convoy. This route, rather than following a single highway, spans several, including I-25 in Denver. This combination of routes was intended to approximate the original 1919 convoy route.{{cite web|url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/ddehwy.cfm|title=Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway|publisher=Federal Highway Administration|accessdate=2023-07-27|archive-date=August 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825182935/https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/ddehwy.cfm|url-status=live}}

The designation of this highway, while clear in intent, has not seen widespread adoption in terms of signage or recognition, likely due to the irregular nature of the route. Despite this, a commemorative sign was installed in 1986 in the tourist information center off I-70 in Kansas City, Kansas.{{cite web|url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/ddehwy.cfm|title=Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway|publisher=Federal Highway Administration|accessdate=2023-07-27|archive-date=August 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825182935/https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/ddehwy.cfm|url-status=live}} Congress attempted to honor Eisenhower's contributions to the Interstate System once more in 1990, leading to the renaming of the Interstate System as the "Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways".{{cite web|url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/ddehwy.cfm|title=Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway|publisher=Federal Highway Administration|accessdate=2023-07-27|archive-date=August 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825182935/https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/ddehwy.cfm|url-status=live}}

I-25 enters Colorado {{convert|14|mi|km}} south of the city of Trinidad. It is the main north–south route through Colorado with a length of {{convert|300|mi|km}}. The Interstate exits Colorado in the north about {{convert|8|mi|km|spell=in}} south of Cheyenne, Wyoming. I-25 serves all the major cities in Colorado that are east of the Rocky Mountains, such as Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Fort Collins, and Greeley. For the entire distance in Colorado, from the north to the south, the Rocky Mountains are clearly visible.

There are also several important military and air bases and institutions along this route, such as Buckley Space Force Base, the Cheyenne Mountain Complex headquarters of NORAD, Fort Carson, Peterson Space Force Base, and the United States Air Force Academy.

I-25 crosses the Palmer Divide between Denver and Colorado Springs, providing some of the highway's most scenic views of the Rocky Mountains and its foothills. Blizzards and high winds on this stretch (particularly over Monument Hill) are notorious for causing traffic problems during the winter months.

The section of I-25 that is between the northern border of Pueblo County and the New Mexico state line is named the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway" in honor of President Kennedy's support of water resources development in the Arkansas River Valley.

{{Main|Interstate 25 in Wyoming}}

I-25 enters Wyoming {{convert|8|mi|km|spell=in}} south of the state capital, Cheyenne. After traveling through Cheyenne, I-25 continues north to Douglas, passing many plateaus and also railroad tracks. Commonly, very long trains can be seen slowly moving alongside this highway. Around Douglas, this Interstate Highway curves somewhat to the west toward Casper. Once through Casper, I-25 turns due north, and it goes as far as Buffalo, where it ends at an interchange with I-90. I-90 then provides the connection to Montana.

The section in New Mexico between Romeroville and Los Lunas closely follows the original alignment of US 66, which was later shortened and realigned to run due west from Santa Rosa. Now, that has been replaced with I-40.

;New Mexico

: {{Jct|country=USA|I|10|US|85|US|180}} on the Las Cruces–University Park line. I-25/US 85 share an unsigned concurrency to Fountain, Colorado.

: {{Jct|country=USA|US|70}} in Las Cruces

: {{Jct|country=USA|US|380}} west of San Antonio

: {{Jct|country=USA|US|60}} in Socorro. The highways travel concurrently to south-southwest of Abeytas.

: {{Jct|country=USA|I|40}} in Albuquerque

: {{Jct|country=USA|US|550}} in Bernalillo

: {{Jct|country=USA|US|84|US|285}} south of Santa Fe. I-25/US 84 travels concurrently to Romeroville. I-25/US 285 travels concurrently to Eldorado at Santa Fe. These are wrong-way concurrencies; driving east, one is on I-25 North and US 84 and 285 South.

: {{Jct|country=USA|US|64}} south of Raton. The highways travel concurrently to Raton.

: {{Jct|country=USA|US|64|US|87}} in Raton. I-25/US 87 travels concurrently to southeast of Glenrock, Wyoming.

;Colorado

: {{Jct|country=USA|US|160}} in Trinidad. The highways travel concurrently to Walsenburg.

: {{Jct|country=USA|US|50}} in Pueblo. The highways travel concurrently through Pueblo.

: {{Jct|country=USA|US|24}} in Colorado Springs. The highways travel concurrently through Colorado Springs.

: {{Jct|country=USA|US|85}} in Colorado Springs

: {{Jct|country=USA|US|85}} in Colorado Springs. The highways travel concurrently to Castle Rock.

: {{Jct|country=USA|I|225}} in Denver

: {{Jct|country=USA|US|285}} in Denver

: {{Jct|country=USA|US|85}} in Denver. The highways travel concurrently through Denver.

: {{Jct|country=USA|US|6}} in Denver. The highways travel concurrently through Denver.

: {{Jct|country=USA|US|40|US|287}} in Denver

: {{Jct|country=USA|I|70|US|6|US|85}} in Denver

: {{Jct|country=USA|I|76|dab1=Colorado–Nebraska}} southeast of Twin Lakes

: {{Jct|country=USA|I|270|dab1=Colorado|US|36}} on the Twin Lakes–Sherrelwood–Welby line

: {{Jct|country=USA|US|34}} in Loveland

;Wyoming

: {{Jct|country=USA|I|80}} south-southwest of Cheyenne

: {{Jct|country=USA|US|30}} southwest of Cheyenne

: {{Jct|country=USA|US|85}} in Cheyenne. The highways travel concurrently to Ranchettes.

: {{Jct|country=USA|US|26}} west-southwest of Dwyer Junction. The highways travel concurrently to southeast of Glenrock.

: {{Jct|country=USA|US|18|US|20}} in Orin. I-25/US 20 travels concurrently to southeast of Glenrock.

: {{Jct|country=USA|US|20|US|26|US|87}} in Casper. I-25/US 20/US 26 travels concurrently to the Casper–Bar Nunn city line. I-25/US 87 travels concurrently to north-northeast of Buffalo.

: {{Jct|country=USA|US|16}} in Buffalo

: {{Jct|country=USA|I|90|US|87}} north-northeast of Buffalo

{{cite book |author = Rand McNally |year = 2014 |title = The Road Atlas |edition = Walmart |location = Chicago |publisher = Rand McNally |pages = 21, 68, 116 |isbn = 978-0-528-00771-2}}

• Business routes of Interstate 25
• Interstate 225

{{Reflist}}

{{Attached KML|display=title,inline}}

{{commons category|Interstate 25}}

• {{osmrelation-inline}}
• [http://www.mesalek.com/colo/i25.html Interstate 25 by Matthew Salek]

{{Interstates}}

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Category:Transportation in Colorado

Category:Transportation in New Mexico

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