100 years of US routes: 1926-2026

Endpoints of
US Route 287[n]

This page is about the north segment of US 287 (not to be confused with the separate south segment of US 287).

1965-present

North: Choteau, MT
South: West Yellowstone, MT

Mileage: in 1989 AASHTO listed a figure of 282 miles for US 287[n]. That closely matches our own 2020 measurement, which yielded 281.2 miles. Want historic mileages? Our handy reference book includes the mileages that were published in all 13 of AASHO/AASHTO's historic route logs (spanning the years 1927 to 1989).

Note that US 287 does not exist within Yellowstone National Park, and although the route is implied to run through Yellowstone, the Park divides US 287 into two separate segments. The south end of the north section of US 287 has always been in West Yellowstone.

Choteau

Originally in Montana, the road from West Yellowstone up to Three Forks was MT hwy. 1. Three Forks to Helena was US 10N; Helena to Wolf Creek was US 91; and Wolf Creek to Choteau was MT 33. But in about 1957, Montana designated that entire corridor as state highway 287. Clearly they were setting things up to extend the US 287 designation northward along that route, but that did not actually happen until 1965:

Those maps indicate that originally US 287 traffic was directed to use 1st Street North (rather than Division Street) in Choteau. The following postcard image (taken looking southeast on Main Avenue, or US 89) was made shortly before US 287 was extended into town, as the highway marker at right indicated state highway 287. But within the next few years, the north beginning of US 287 was to the right on 1st St. N:

Vintage postcard photo showing SH 287 in Choteau

c. late 1950s - early 1960s, attribution unknown

At some point, perhaps in the 1990s, US 287 was changed to its modern configuration, which uses Division, one block to the south of 1st St. N. (or in the photo above, one block further ahead). The highway enters town from the south on 7th Avenue SW, and the last US 287 marker is posted where traffic is directed to angle onto Divison:

Sanderson, Sep. 2026

That road is not actually US 89; rather the intention of the sign is "TO US 89". A few blocks ahead, this photo shows the north end of US 287; note that the US 89 sign at lower right had arrows going both ways. At the time, traffic heading that way on Division was allowed to go any direction at the upcoming intersection (Main)...

Taylor, 2000

...but that is also the point where traffic on Main bifurcates in order to go around opposite sides of the courthouse circle (behind the trees at far right). That intersection was the site of a disproportionate amount of traffic incidents, so shortly after that photo, the half-block of Division west of Main was changed to a one-way road, open only to westbound traffic. Therefore all US 287 traffic bound for US 89 must now go around the west and south sides of the courthouse, even drivers who want to head north on US 89. That is why the US 89 sign at US 287's terminus is not differentiated with "North" or "South" tabs, since both directions must turn right:

Elbert, Jul. 2008

Ivy/Nitzman, Aug. 2016

Sanderson, Sep. 2026

Northbound US 89 is actually to the left, but drivers can no longer turn that direction. Instead, all traffic must follow what amounts to a one-way rotary around the courthouse. In that most recent photo, the "Airport straight ahead" signage is misleading, because one cannot go straight (instead one would have to turn right and loop around the courthouse). After turning to the right, only the control points "Great Falls" and "Glacier National Park" precede the gore that separates northbound and southbound US 89 traffic, which is a bit underinformative [photo]. Taking all of that into consideration, I would say that Division has now become one of the worst options for connecting northbound US 287 to US 89. Instead I think it would be better to put US 287 traffic back on 1st St. N. where it was originally.

Anyway, heading south on US 89, the first reference to US 287 is posted about a half-mile to the north, where Main winds around a bit. This sign would be more accurate if it read "South US 89, TO US 287":

In the distance a green sign is visible; that is right in front of the courthouse, and it is shown more closely in both of these next shots. Here US 89 traffic begins to curve to the right onto Division, but then curves back left to go around the right-hand side of the courthouse, and two-way traffic resumes on the opposite side...

Elbert, Jul. 2008

Sanderson, Sep. 2026

...however, instead of going around the courthouse, if a driver completes the right turn onto Division, then they are on the north beginning of US 287. Formerly another green sign was posted in the gore...

Taylor, 2000

...that sign is gone now, but I think it would be very helpful to install something there again, because (due to trees) the first southbound confirming marker (right across the road from the gore) has become quite difficult to see until it's too late:

Ivy/Nitzman, Aug. 2016

Sanderson, Sep. 2026

This next series was taken from the opposite perspective: heading northbound on US 89, looping around the east and north sides of the courthouse. US 89 continues by curving back to the north on Main, while to the west on Division is the north beginning of US 287: