Colorado State Highway 13

State Highway 13
Route information
Maintained by CDOT
Length:	128.00 mi[1] (206.00 km)
Major junctions
South end:	I-70 in Rifle
North end:	WYO 789 near Baggs
Location
Counties:	Moffat, Rio Blanco, Garfield
Highway system
Colorado State Highways ← SH 12 SH 14 →

State Highway 13 in the U.S. state of Colorado is a mountain route that travels from the Wyoming border near Baggs, Wyoming down through the Rocky Mountains to Rifle.

Route description

The route begins at a diamond interchange with Interstate 70 south of Rifle. It then crosses the Colorado River and intersects U.S. Route 6 at the south side of Rifle. Along the north side of town the road turns slightly northeastward as it passes through the northern Rifle and into grassland,^[2] where it intersects State Highway 325. As the road turns back northward and then slightly northwestward, the surrounding terrain turns into a more barren land dotted with occasional shrubs and grass.^[2] As the road continues northwestward, the shrubs and trees become more dense along hillsides. SH 13 then crosses into Rio Blanco County, when the direction becomes straight north. SH 13 then interchanges with State Highway 64, which meets its east end here, and turns abruptly eastward. SH 13 then becomes Market Street as it cuts through the south side of Meeker, paralleling the White River. Following an intersection with a local road leading to Meeker Airport, the road again turns northward back into rural Rio Grande County.

Following several miles of barren land north of Meeker, SH 13 exits the White River Valley and enters mountainous terrain. The road then follows the Good Springs Creek valley to the Moffat county line. SH 13 continues through rural Moffat County and gradually turns eastward and again northward after a several miles. Near Hamilton, the route's next destination, the road meets State Highway 317 and turns slightly northwestward. After a distance winding through barren land, the road reaches Craig, where it meets U.S. Route 40 and begins a short concurrency through the city. Following the overlap SH 13 again moves northward, out of town and along the Fortification Creek valley. Here fields, are located along the road, moving northwestward.^[2] Eventually, after moving along several miles of road through farmland, the road reaches the Wyoming state line. The road continues as Wyoming Highway 789 to Baggs.

History

The route was established in the 1920s and was paved by 1947. Minor changes corrected the route to its current routing today by 1985.^[3]

Major intersections

County	Location	Mile	Destination	Notes
Garfield	Rifle	0.000	I-70	South end of route
		0.545	US 6E
		4.114	SH 325
Rio Blanco		39.010	SH 64
Moffat	Hamilton	75.793	SH 317
	Craig	88.635	US 40	Begin concurrency
		89.608	US 40	End concurrency
		127.999	WYO 789 at the Wyoming border	North end of route

References

1. ^ "Segment list for SH 13". http://www.dot.state.co.us/app_DTD_DataAccess/Highways/index.cfm?fuseaction=Description&route=013&begRefPt=0&endRefPt=500&Printable=true. Retrieved 2007-05-12. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Microsoft. Map of Route Overview of SH 13 – Bing Maps (Map). NavTEQ, Inc. http://www.bing.com/maps/#JmNwPTQwLjI4MzgzNTAwODc0MDQzfi0xMDcuNzE3NDA0MDY3NTE2MzMmbHZsPTgmc3R5PXImcnRwPXBvcy4zOS41MzMwMDAyMTU4ODgwMl8tMTA3Ljc4MzMwNDYwMTkwNzczX1JpZmxlJTJDJTIwQ09fX19lX35wb3MuNDEuMDM0NjY5ODAxNTkyODNfLTEwNy42NTc4OTkyNjA1MjA5NF9CYWdncyUyQyUyMFdZX19fZV8mbW9kZT1EJnJ0b3A9MH4wfjB+. Retrieved 2010-06-02. 
3. ^ Salek, Matthew E. (01-03-2010). "Colorado Routes 1-19". http://www.mesalek.com/colo/r1-19.html#13. Retrieved 2010-04-04.