Colorado State Highway 7

State Highway 7
Length:	81.64 mi[1] (131.39 km)
West end:	US 36 in Estes Park
East end:	I-76 in Brighton
Counties:	Larimer, Boulder, Weld (south boundary), Broomfield, Adams
Colorado State Highways < US 6 SH 8 >

State Highway 7 meets U.S. Highway 36 at the small town of Lyons.

State Highway 7 in the U.S. state of Colorado is a state highway. Approximately 83 miles long, 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.

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 highway is two lanes along the entire route except for portions in the cities and towns.

Route description

From Estes Park, the highway 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. At the community of Raymond, it turns to the east and follows the St. Vrain River downstream onto the piedmont at Lyons, where it intersects U.S. Highway 36 (the Peak-to-Peak Scenic Byway continues south from Raymond as State Highway 72). 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 runs straight east from Boulder as the extension of Arapahoe Avenue to U.S. Highway 287 north of Lafayette, jogging one mile 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 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.

Major intersections

• Source: Segment List for SH 7, per CDOT, obsolete 2003
• Source: Segment List for SH 7, per M.E.Salek

Milepost	City	Junction
0	Estes Park	U.S. Highway 36
14.91	Allenspark	SR 7 Business Loop
16.08	Ferncliff	SR 7 Business Loop
19.24	near Raymond	State Highway 72
32.99	Lyons	U.S. Highway 36 Begin concurrency 19.49 mi.
50.89	Boulder	State Highway 119 Begin concurrency 1.40 mi.
52.29	Boulder	State Highway 119 End concurrency
52.48	Boulder	U.S. Highway 36 End concurrency
53.45	Boulder	State Highway 157 (Foothills Parkway)
59.29	Lafayette	State Highway 42
60.68	Lafayette	U.S. Highway 287 Begin concurrency 1.19 mi.
61.87	Lafayette	U.S. Highway 287 End concurrency
68.38	Broomfield	Interstate 25
76.98	Brighton	U.S. Highway 85
77.29	Brighton	State Highway 2
81.64	Brighton	Interstate 76 Terminus

References