U.S. Route 191 in Wyoming
 U.S. Highway 191 | |||||||||
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 US 191 highlighted in red | |||||||||
| Route information | |||||||||
| Maintained by WYDOT | |||||||||
| Length | 289.402 mi[1] (465.747 km) | ||||||||
| Existed | 1981–present | ||||||||
| Major junctions | |||||||||
| South end |  US 191 at Utah state line | ||||||||
| North end | Southern entrance of Yellowstone National Park | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
| Country | United States | ||||||||
| State | Wyoming | ||||||||
| Counties | Sweetwater, Sublette, Teton | ||||||||
| Highway system | |||||||||
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U.S. Route 191 (US 191) is a part of the U.S. Highway System that travels Douglas, Arizona on the Mexican border, north to Loring, Montana on the Canadian border; broken into two segments by Yellowstone National Park where unnumbered park roads serve as a connector. In the state of Wyoming, it extends approximately 289 miles (465 km) from the Utah state line near Dutch John, Utah to the southern entrance of Yellowstone National Park.[1] The current US 191 alignment through Wyoming was established in 1981, replacing U.S. Route 187 (US 187) and Wyoming Highway 373 (WYO 373),[2] making it relatively new compared to other U.S. Highways.
Route description
US 191 enters Wyoming near a geographical feature known as Minnie's Gap, just east of Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. The route proceeds 51 miles (82 km) north through rugged desert country following an alignment mostly constructed during the 1970s, to Interstate 80 at exit 99, just west of Rock Springs. This segment of the route is known locally as "East Flaming Gorge Road." The route is then concurrent for 5.6 miles (9.0 km) with I-80 and US 30 eastward through Rock Springs, exiting I-80 at Elk Street (exit 104). Officially, the WYDOT lists US 191 beginning at I-80 Business and US 30 Business, the location of former US 187 southern terminus;[1]: 155 however, the section is unsigned in favor of it being concurrent I-80.[3][4]
US 191 continues northward at Rock Springs, traveling through high desert country for 98 miles (158 km) through Eden and Farson to Pinedale, where it becomes concurrent with Wyoming Centennial Scenic Byway. The travels 11 miles (18 km) to Daniel where it meets US 189, beginning their 67-mile (108 km) concurrency. Continuing north, the road traverses increasingly mountainous terrain, entering the Bridger-Teton National Forest and passing through the small community of Bondurant before descending through the narrow Hoback River Canyon to an intersection with US 26 and US 89 at Hoback Junction. The four routes follow the Snake River valley northward into the Jackson Hole valley for 14 miles (23 km) to Jackson where US 189 terminates.[1][4]
North of Jackson, US 191 soon enters Grand Teton National Park, running concurrently with US 26 and US 89. The highway meets US 287 at Moran Junction, inside the park; US 191, US 89, and US 287 are concurrent north of Moran, but the highways are not signed. Continuing through forested and mountainous country, the three routes travel seven miles (11 km) through the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway before reaching the South Entrance of Yellowstone National Park. Officially US 191 and the other U.S. Routes are officially discontinuous through the park,[1] though some commercially produced maps show these highways running inside Yellowstone National Park itself along its unnumbered roads. US 191 along with US 287 resume at the West Entrance at West Yellowstone, Montana.[4]
Approximately 15 miles (24 km) north of West Yellowstone while passing through Yellowstone National Park, US 191 has a five-and-a-half-mile (8.9 km) segment running along the Gallatin River where it crosses into Park County, Wyoming; however, the segment is separate from the rest of the Wyoming state highway system and is maintained by the Montana Department of Transportation.[5]
History
 U.S. Highway 187 | |
|---|---|
| Location | Rock Springs–Moran Junction |
| Length | 207 mi (333 km) |
| Existed | 1926–1982 |
 Wyoming Highway 373 | |
|---|---|
| Location | Utah state line–Purple Sage |
| Length | 51 mi (82 km) |
US 191 originally did not exist in Wyoming except for the Gallatin River section, as its original route ran from US 91 in Idaho Falls, Idaho to Malta, Montana; US 191 was later extended southward into Utah. In the 1940s, US 20 was extended westward into Idaho and Oregon, resulting in US 20 and US 191 being cosigned between West Yellowstone and Idaho Falls. In the mid-1970s, coinciding with the completion of Interstate 15, US 191 was decommissioned south of Idaho Falls.[6]
In the mean time, US 187 was designated as a 207-mile (333 km) highway between Rock Springs and Moran. Some early proposals had it extend south into Colorado via Baggs along present-day WYO 789;[7] however, those went unrealized resulting in US 187 remaining an intrastate U.S. Highway.
In the late 1960s/early 1970s officials in Utah and Wyoming formed a plan have a single-numbered route between Moab and Yellowstone National Park. Initial agreements proposed using US 163 which was later signed in Utah, with initial proposals having US 163 replacing US 189 in Wyoming. In 1981 the AASHTO recommended rerouting US 191 by decomissioning the US 20 concurrency south of West Yellowstone, following US 187 from Yellowstone to Rock Springs, replacing WYO 373 to the Utah state line, and replacing a series of highways in Utah.[2] This was formalized with US 187 and WYO 373 being decommissioned in 1982.
Major intersections
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweetwater | | 0.000 | 0.000 |  US 191 south – Vernal | Continuation into Utah | |||
| Purple Sage | 51.388 | 82.701 | 99 |     I-80 west / US 30 west – Evanston | Southern end of I-80 / US 30 concurrency; exit numbers follow I-80 | |||
| Rock Springs | 53.400 | 85.939 | 101 | Interchange Road | ||||
| 54.565 | 87.814 | 102 |     I-80 BL east / US 30 Bus. east (Dewar Drive) | |||||
| 56.027 | 90.167 | 103 | College Drive | |||||
| 57.032 | 91.784 | 104 |    I-80 east / US 30 east to WYO 430 – RawlinsElk Street (US 191 Spur south) | Southern end of I-80 / US 30 concurrency; US 191 officially follows Elk Street (US 191 Spur) but is unsigned in favor of the I-80 concurrency[1][3] | ||||
| Farson | 96.170 | 154.771 |  WYO 28 / California National Historic Trail / Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail / Oregon National Historic Trail / Pony Express National Historic Trail – Kemmerer, Lander | |||||
| Sublette | | 132.456 | 213.167 |   WYO 351 west – Big Piney | ||||
| Boulder | 143.495 | 230.933 |   WYO 353 east | |||||
| Pinedale | 155.084 | 249.584 |   Fermont Lake Road (CR 154 north) / Wyoming Centennial Scenic Byway begins | Southern end of Wyoming Centennial Scenic Byway concurrency | ||||
| | 161.214 | 259.449 |   WYO 352 north – Cora, Bridger Wilderness Green River Entrance | |||||
| Daniel | 166.162 | 267.412 |  US 189 south – Kemmerer | Southern end of US 189 concurrency | ||||
| 166.444 | 267.866 |  WYO 354 west | ||||||
| Teton | Hoback | 219.141 | 352.673 |   US 26 west / US 89 south – Alpine Junction | Southern end of US 26 / US 89 concurrency | |||
| 223.091 | 359.030 |  WYO 391 east (East Evans Road) | ||||||
| Jackson | 230.886 | 371.575 |  WYO 22 west – Wilson, Teton Village | |||||
| 232.711 | 374.512 |  Broadway Avenue / Cache Street (US 189 ends) | Northern end of US 189 concurrency; US 189 northern terminus | |||||
| Grand Teton National Park | 236.659 | 380.866 | Grand Teton National Park boundary | |||||
| 244.632 | 393.697 | Teton Park Road – Visitor Center | To Moose–Wilson Road | |||||
| 262.422 | 422.327 |  US 26 east / US 287 south / Wyoming Centennial Scenic Byway – Dubois | Northern end of US 26 / Wyoming Centennial Scenic Byway concurrency; southern end of US 287 concurrency | |||||
| 266.434 | 428.784 | Moran Entrance Station | ||||||
| 282.630 | 454.849 | Grand Teton National Park boundary | ||||||
| John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway |
No major junctions | |||||||
| Yellowstone National Park | 289.402 | 465.747 | US 89 ends / US 287 ends | US 89 / US 191 / US 287 northern terminus; north end of US 89 / US 287 concurrency | ||||
| Yellowstone National Park boundary (South Entrance) | ||||||||
| South Entrance Road (to US 89 north / US 191 north / US 287 north) | Continuation into Yellowstone National Park; US 89 resumes in Montana at the park's north entrance; US 191 / US 287 resume in Montana at the park's west entrance | |||||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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Rock Springs spur route
U.S. Highway 191 Spur | |
|---|---|
| Elk Street | |
| Location | Rock Springs |
| Length | 1.315 mi[1] (2.116 km) |
| Existed | 1981–present |
U.S. Route 191 Spur (US 191 Spur) is a 1.3-mile (2.1 km) unsigned spur route in Rock Springs. It runs along Elk Street from I-80 Business/US 30 Business to US 191 where it leaves its concurrency with I-80/US 30.
Officially, the WYDOT lists US 191 beginning at I-80 Business/US 30 Business, reflective of the former southern terminus of US 187;[1]: 155 however, the section is unsigned in favor of it being concurrent I-80.[3]
- Major intersections
The entire route is in Rock Springs, Sweetwater County.
| mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.000 | 0.000 | I-80 BL / US 30 Bus. (Center Street / Bridger Avenue) / Elk Street – Salt Lake, Rawlings | |||
| 1.315 | 2.116 |  I-80 / US 30 / US 191 south to WYO 430 – Rawlings, Green River US 191 north (Elk Street) – Pinedale | I-80 exit 104; continues as US 191 | ||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j State Maintenance Engineer’s Office (October 1, 2017). "Maintenance Section Reference Book" (PDF). Wyoming Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
- ^ a b Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (June 25, 1981). "Route Numbering Committee Agenda" (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 526–527. Retrieved June 15, 2023 – via Wikisource.
Extend U.S. Route 191 from the present terminus at the intersection of U.S. Route 287 north of West Yellowstone to the Wyoming State Line, then southeasterly over present U.S. Route 287 to the intersection of U.S. Route 187 at Moran, Wyoming, then southeasterly over U.S. Route 187 to the intersection of I-80 at Rock Springs, then westerly over I-80 to the intersection of SR 373 west of Rock Springs, then southerly over SR 260 to the intersection of SR 44, then southerly over SR 44 to the intersection of U.S. 40 at Vernal, Utah, then westerly over U.S. 40 to the intersection of SR 33 at Duchesne, then southwesterly over SR 33 to the intersection of U.S. Route 6 north of Helper, then southeasterly over U.S. Route 6 to the intersection of U.S. Route 163 at Crescent Jct., then southeasterly over U.S. Route 163 to the intersection of a route to be added to the Utah State Route System at Bluff, then southerly over this route to the Arizona State Line and the intersection of U.S. Route 160 near Mexican Water, Arizona, then westerly over U.S. Route 160 to the intersection of SR 63, then southerly over SR 63 to a new terminus at Chambers, Arizona.
- ^ a b c "Google Streetview: US-191 southbound, Rock Springs" (Map). Google Maps. October 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
- ^ a b c Wyoming Transportation Commission (2011). Wyoming Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Cheyenne: Wyoming Department of Transportation.
- ^ "MDT State Maintained Routes" (Map). Montana Department of Transportation. ArcGIS Online. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
- ^ "U.S. Highway 191". AARoads. October 30, 2005. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ^ "Former U.S. 187". AARoads. September 22, 2005. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
External links
Media related to U.S. Route 191 in Wyoming at Wikimedia Commons
