Alaska The
Alaska Highway through Alaska,
Yukon and
British Columbia is commonly considered a
de facto northerly extension of the Pan-American Highway, which continues further north with the
Dalton Highway in Alaska. With this route, the Pan-American Highway begins in
Prudhoe Bay, near
Deadhorse. Traveling south, the route follows the length of the
Dalton Highway (Alaska Route 11) changing to
Alaska Route 2, the Alaskan portion of the Alaska Highway, near
Fairbanks, Alaska. From Fairbanks, the route follows Alaska Route 2 southeast to the
Canada–United States border southeast of
Northway, Alaska, and adjacent to the
Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge.
Canada In Canada, no particular road has been officially designated as the Pan-American Highway. The
National Highway System, which includes but is not limited to the
Trans-Canada Highway, is the country's only official inter-provincial highway system. However, several Canadian highways are a natural extension of several key American highways that reach the Canada–US border.
British Columbia Highway 97 and Highway 2 to Alberta both pick up where the southern end of the Alaska highway leaves off. Highway 97 becomes
U.S. Route 97 at the Canada–US border.
British Columbia Highway 99 provides an alternate route from Highway 97 just north of
Cache Creek; it runs through
Whistler and
Vancouver before ending at the Canada–US border at the north end of Interstate 5 in
Washington state, the beginning of the official Pan-American route south of British Columbia. Meanwhile,
Alberta Highway 2 runs south and east to
Alberta Highway 3 leading into
Lethbridge, then south on
Alberta Highway 4 to the Canada–US border, where it becomes
Interstate 15 in
Montana. This is the first official stretch of the Pan-American Highway south of the Alberta route, both of which are also part of the
CANAMEX Corridor.
Yukon Crossing the border into Canada, Alaska Highway 2 turns into Yukon Highway 1. The first significant settlement along the way is
Beaver Creek, Yukon. At
Haines Junction, where it meets
Yukon Highway 3, Yukon Highway 1 turns east toward
Whitehorse, the capital of the
Yukon Territory. Through most of Whitehorse,
Yukon Highway 2 and Yukon Highway 1 share an alignment. Yukon Highway 1 cuts southeast toward
Marsh Lake, Yukon while Yukon Highway 2 cuts south to
Skagway, Alaska. Eventually, Yukon Highway 1 intersects with
Yukon Highway 8 and
Yukon Highway 7 at
Jake's Corner, Yukon; the Pan-American Highway continues on Yukon 1 east-northeast from this junction. At
Johnson's Crossing, Yukon Highway 1 meets
Yukon Highway 6 and travels southeast through
Teslin, Yukon. The Pan-American Highway continues on Yukon 1 as it crosses over into
British Columbia (B. C.). After several miles, the Highway reenters the Yukon (once again as Highway 1) and continues southeast of
Watson Lake until it, once again, enters British Columbia as B.C. Highway 97.
British Columbia After travelling about past the British Columbia–Yukon border, the Pan-American Highway reaches the first settlement in British Columbia at
Lower Post. After travelling about east, the highway
once again re-enters the Yukon for roughly . The Highway then re-enters British Columbia (as BC 97) for the final time. The Pan-American Highway continues south to southeast through a long uninhabited stretch until it passes through the villages of
Fireside and
Coal River, then runs east parallel to the
Liard River. The Pan-American Highway continues on B.C. Highway 97 as it passes through
Toad River Post, and then Summit Lake, which is nested between Stone Mountain and Mount Saint George. Further down the road, B.C. Highway 97 intersects with B.C. Highway 77; the Pan-American Highway continues along B.C. 97 east to
Fort Nelson. From Fort Nelson, the Highway travels south for about until it reaches
Fort St. John. It continues on B.C. Highway 97 southeast for another to reach the end of the Alaska Highway at
Dawson Creek.
Alberta After B.C Highway 97, the unofficial route becomes
Alberta Highway 43. In approximately , Highway 43 enters into the first settlement, Demmitt. For about , Highway 43 goes into
Grande Prairie. At
Clairmont, Highway 43, turns to
Alberta Highway 2, Highway 43 goes left. Highway 43 goes for before reaching
Edmonton. The unofficial route turns two ways, one way goes to
Lloydminster,
Minneapolis, and
Dallas and merges with the second way. The second way goes to
Calgary and the US border.
Contiguous United States In 1966, the U.S.
Federal Highway Administration designated the entire Interstate Highway System as part of the Pan-American Highway System, but this has not been expressed in any of the official interstate signage. Of the many freeways that make up this comprehensive system, several are notable because of their mainly north–south orientation and their links to the main Mexican route and its spurs, as well as to key routes in Canada that link to the Alaska Highway. These include the following: •
Interstate 5 runs north from the
Mexican border in
San Diego, California, to
Blaine, Washington, south of
Vancouver, British Columbia, then links indirectly with
British Columbia Highway 99 north of the Canada–US border. A technically direct link between the same interstate and the
U.S. Route 97 system can be found near
Weed, California. US Route 97 runs northeast then north through Oregon and Washington from this junction, and becomes BC Highway 97 at the border with Canada. •
Interstate 15 links San Diego with
Alberta Highway 2 that eventually crosses into British Columbia and ends at the southern terminus of the Alaska Highway.
Interstate 8 provides an east–west link from San Diego to
Interstate 10 near
Phoenix, Arizona. The latter continues to Tucson and links with
Interstate 19, which becomes a spur of the Pan-American highway through Mexico at the
Nogales border crossing. •
Interstate 25 runs north from
Interstate 10 at
Las Cruces,
New Mexico, to
Interstate 90 in
Buffalo,
Wyoming. This route has no direct extension into Canada but links indirectly to Interstate 15.
Interstate 25 in
Albuquerque, New Mexico, was named the
Pan-American Freeway, as an extension of Highway 45, the Mexican spur linking El Paso to the original route along highway 85 north of Mexico City. This portion of I-25 largely follows the historic
Camino Real, and thus serves a culturally significant portion of the Pan American system. Like I-15, the complete route of Interstate 25 is an official northerly continuation toward Alberta, where Highway 2 provides a direct but unofficial Canadian link to the Alaska Highway. •
Interstate 35 is a northerly continuation of the original Pan-American highway following Mexican Federal Highway 85. It extends from
Laredo, Texas to the
Canada–United States border north of
Duluth,
Minnesota, with a spur,
Interstate 29, that leads farther west toward
Winnipeg,
Manitoba. The section of
Interstate 35 in
San Antonio, Texas, is referred to as the Pan Am Expressway by locals. I-35 is a northerly continuation of Mexico Highway 85, the original official Mexican route, ending in
Duluth, Minnesota, where
Minnesota State Highway 61 continues to the Canada–US border near
Thunder Bay, Ontario. This route was first proposed in a 1932 bill introduced in the U.S. Congress. The Trans-Canada Highway provides a link from Winnipeg and Thunder Bay to Alberta and the Alaska Highway, but it is not officially part of the Pan-American Highway. •
U.S. Route 81 is claimed to be part of the Pan American Highway from
Wichita, Kansas, to
Watertown, South Dakota, where it runs separately from
Interstate 29. • An additional route only partially complete is
Interstate 69, which will eventually run northeasterly from the Laredo
Nuevo Laredo border crossing to the
Windsor–Quebec City Corridor in Canada, where the route becomes unofficial.
Related North American highways Several North American routes have names that make no direct reference to the Pan-American Highway, in part because some sections follow highways that are not up to full freeway standard. • The
CANAMEX Corridor is designated from Mexico City to the western United States from Arizona to Montana, and continues north into western Canada. Although lacking any official status for the Pan American Highway in Canada, this is the only official North American highway that runs through Canada, the U.S., and Mexico to link the Alaska Highway with the Pan-American Highway at Mexico City. Unlike corresponding Pan American routes in the American southwest, the Canamex Highway bypasses San Diego by using several non-interstate highways to provide a shortcut from I-15 at
Las Vegas, Nevada to I-10 at
Phoenix, Arizona for traffic accessing I-15 from the Nogales border crossing. • The
CanAm Highway follows Interstate 25 from El Paso to
U.S. Route 85 north of
Denver,
Colorado, then continues into the Canadian province of
Saskatchewan, following parts of provincial highways 35, 39, 6, 3, and 2 in succession before terminating at
La Ronge. This route was first proposed during the 1920s, but was never properly promoted or developed. A section of the CanAm in southern Saskatchewan has deteriorated to the point where it is no longer a paved highway. • The
NAFTA Superhighway tag has been unofficially used in connection with
Interstate 35 from Laredo, Texas to the Canadian border; there it downgrades to a non-freeway route ending at
Thunder Bay, Ontario. A spur follows
Interstate 29 to the border, where it also downgrades to an arterial highway that extends to
Winnipeg, Manitoba. The NAFTA highway sometimes unofficially includes
Interstate 69, which is mostly complete from western Kentucky to the Canada–US border at
Port Huron, Michigan. In Canada,
Ontario Highway 402 and other freeways in the
Quebec City–Windsor Corridor can be considered a northeastward extension of this version of the NAFTA superhighway. To the southwest, from western Kentucky to the Mexican border, there is no single superhighway yet completed. Pending completion of I-69, the main highway links to Mexico follow parts of US routes 45 and 51 from Kentucky to western Tennessee, I-155 into Missouri, parts of Interstates 55 and 40 from Missouri to Arkansas, and
I-30 to the Texas stretch of I-35 that continues to the Mexican border at
Laredo, Texas. The section of I-69 to be completed south of Kentucky is expected eventually to continue southwestward to the Texas Gulf Coast. It will have a spur linking to the original Pan-American route through Mexico to Laredo, and additional branches extending to the Mexican spurs that cross the border at
Pharr, Texas, and
Brownsville, Texas.
Mexico The official route of the Pan-American Highway through Mexico (where it is known as the
Inter-American Highway) starts at
Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas (opposite
Laredo, Texas), and goes south to Mexico City along
Mexican Federal Highway 85. An alternative route begins at the border crossing between
San Diego, California and
Tijuana, Baja California.
Interstate 5 in the United States connects to Mexican Federal Highway 1 at the busiest international border crossing in the world. The Pan-American Highway continues south to Mexico City along two separate routes: historic
Mexican Federal Highway 1 and toll
Mexican Federal Highway 1D via Baja California Peninsula or
Mexican Federal Highway 2 via the mainland. The Pan-American Highway (as Mexico Highway 85D) enters Mexico City, but downtown Mexico City can be bypassed using Mexico Highway 136 (a divided limited-access route) and Mexico Highway 115, which reconnects to Mexico Highway 95D south of the
Mexican Federal District. Later branches were built to the border as follows: •
Nogales spur –
Mexican Federal Highway 15 from Mexico City •
El Paso spur –
Mexican Federal Highway 45 from Highway 85 north of Mexico City to
Ciudad Juárez,
Chihuahua •
Eagle Pass spur – unknown, possibly
Mexican Federal Highway 57 from Mexico City to
Piedras Negras, Coahuila •
Pharr spur –
Mexican Federal Highway 40 from
Monterrey to
Reynosa, Tamaulipas •
Brownsville spur –
Mexican Federal Highway 101 from
Ciudad Victoria to
Matamoros, Tamaulipas From Mexico City to the border with
Guatemala, the highway follows
Mexican Federal Highway 190. In the inaugural
Carrera Panamericana road race, organized by the Mexican government, the terminus of this southern route was said to be at
Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, Chiapas, at the Guatemalan border. Specifically, as the Pan-American Highway continues south of Mexico City, it runs through the city of
Cuernavaca about south of the Mexican capital. Here, the Pan-American Highway heads east along
Federal Highway 190 through the state of
Puebla; for about , it is a limited-access divided highway. The route then reverts to an undivided highway and enters the state of
Oaxaca. From
Huajuapan de León to the Oaxaca state capital of
Oaxaca is about . From the city of Oaxaca, the Highway continues southeast as Mexico Highway 190 for about to the village of
Juchitán de Zaragoza. The Pan-American Highway is now in southern Mexico, which is a combination of small mountains, hills, and jungles. It is another to the border with the state of
Chiapas where the Highway crosses the
Continental Divide. From the Oaxaca–Chiapas state border, it is to the Chiapas state capital of
Tuxtla Gutiérrez. The Highway then crosses the
Mexico–Guatemala border at
Ciudad Cuauhtémoc.
Central America (Guatemala), 2015. The Pan-American (or Inter-American) highway passes through the Central American countries with the highway designation of CA-1 (Central American Highway 1).
Belize was supposedly included in the route at one time, after it switched to driving on the right. Before independence, as British Honduras, it was the only Central American country to drive on the left side of the road.
Guatemala Upon crossing into Guatemala, Mexico Highway 190 becomes Central America Highway 1 and continues for about from the border village of
La Mesilla to the city of
Huehuetenango near the
Maya ruins of
Zaculeu. The Pan-American Highway crosses the Continental Divide again and into the
Sierra de los Cuchumatanes mountains. From Huehuetenango to
Chimaltenango is roughly with Mayan ruins at
Iximché, just north of
Tecpán Guatemala. From Chimaltenango, it is about to
Guatemala City, as a divided highway. From Guatemala City to
Cuilapa it is only partially a divided highway for and another to
Jutiapa. The highway continues as CA Highway 1 and approaches the
border with El Salvador. It is to the border crossing at San Cristobal Frontera. In Guatemala, the Pan-American highway passes through 10
departments, including
The Department of Guatemala, where it passes through
Guatemala City.
El Salvador . Note "CA-1 A", signage for alternative CA-1, north bypass of San Salvador.
El Salvador is the smallest country (by area) along the route of the Pan-American Highway. After crossing into El Salvador at
Candelaria de la Frontera, the Inter-American Highway continues toward
Santa Ana as Central America Highway 1. From the border crossing to Santa Ana is about . From Santa Ana, this is a divided highway all along its to
San Salvador, El Salvador's capital and largest city. At
Nueva San Salvador, the highway passes near the Volcano de San Salvador. From San Salvador to
Cojutepeque is about ; following the highway southeast to
San Miguel is about ; the divided highway ends at San Vicente. From San Miguel to the
El Salvador–Honduras border is about . In El Salvador, the highway also passes through the cities of
Santa Tecla,
Antiguo Cuscatlán, and
San Martín.
Honduras The highway crosses the border into Honduras at El Amatillo near
Nacaome ( from border). Just past Nacaome is a highway traveling north to
Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. Traveling south, it is to
Choluteca, the fourth-largest city in Honduras. From Choluteca to the border crossing, just past
San Marcos de Colón, is about . The Pan-American Highway's total distance in Honduras is about .
Nicaragua From Honduras, it passes into Nicaragua at
El Espino, passing through the Nicaraguan cities of
Somoto,
Estelí, Sebaco,
Managua,
Jinotepe, and
Rivas before entering Costa Rica at Peñas Blancas. From the crossing at the
Honduras–Nicaragua border, the highway continues as Central America Highway 1 to the town of
Ocotal, about . From Ocotal to
Estelí is about , and on to the village of
Sébaco is about . At this point, the Inter-American Highway turns from southeast to south towards
Ciudad Darío, which is from Sébaco. From Ciudad Dario to the village of
San Benito is . From San Benito, it is about to Nicaragua's capital and largest city,
Managua, on the shores of
Lake Managua. From Managua south to the town of
Jinotepe is about , and Jinotepe to the town of
Rivas is about . Around this area the Highway is in view of
Lake Nicaragua, which is the largest lake in Central America. From Rivas to the
Nicaragua–Costa Rica border is about .
Costa Rica In Costa Rica, the Pan-American Highway is known as (Inter-American Highway) and is composed of two segments
Carretera Interamericana Norte (Route 1) and
Carretera Interamericana Sur (Route 2). It passes through
Liberia,
San José,
Cartago,
Pérez Zeledón, Palmares, Neily, before crossing into Panama at Paso Canoas. The highest point in the entire Pan-American Highway occurs at the
Cerro de la Muerte (Death Hill) in the Carretera Interamericana Sur segment, at . An alternative route used by cross country buses and freight transportation that avoids crossing through the
Greater Metropolitan Area and Cerro de la Muerte, is by taking
Route 23 in
Puntarenas canton from Route 1, then
Route 27 and
Route 34, and taking Route 2 in
Osa canton. After entering Costa Rica, the Highway separates two national parks, the
Santa Rosa National Park to the west and
Guanacaste National Park to the east. From the Nicaragua–Costa Rica border to the town of
Liberia is about . In the region of Costa Rica, the Pan-American Highway runs just west of the
Cordillera de Guanacaste (Guanacaste Mountains), which includes the active volcanoes of
Rincón de la Vieja and
Miravalles. While travelling through Costa Rica, north of San Jose, the highway route is known as Costa Rica Highway 1 instead of CA Highway 1. From San Jose south to Panama, the highway route is known as Costa Rica Highway 2. Liberia to the town of
Barranca is from Barranca; the
Cordillera de Tilarán (Tilarán Mountains) can be seen from the Inter-American Highway. The Tilarán range includes
Arenal, one of the world's most active volcanoes. From Barranca, the highway heads east across the mountains and the Continental Divide once again. From Barranca, it is roughly to the town of
Alajuela. After Alajuela the
Cordillera Central (Central Mountains) come into view from the Inter-American Highway. The Central Mountains include four large volcanoes--
Poás,
Barva,
Irazú and
Turrialba. From Alajuela to San José is about .
San José is the capital and largest city in Costa Rica. Leaving San José, the Inter-American Highway winds its way roughly southeast. From San José to
San Isidro de El General is about . From San Isidro, the
Cordillera de Talamanca (Talamanca Mountains) rise up from the rain forest canopy. The Talamanca range, which is non-volcanic, includes
Cerro Chirripó, Costa Rica's highest mountain peak at . From San Isidro to
Palmar Sur is roughly , and Palmar Sur to the
Costa Rica–Panama border is .
Panama From the Costa Rica–Panama border to La Concepción, the highway length is approximately , from La Concepción to
David the distance is . The highway enters Panama traveling generally from west to east. David, the capital of the
Chiriqui Province, is located about north of the town of
Pedregal and the
Gulf of Chiriquí. From David, the highway travels east about to
Tolé. From Tolé to the town of
Santiago the distance is approximately . About halfway to Santiago, the Pan-American Highway crosses over the
San Pablo river. From Santiago to
Aguadulce, the Pan American Highway travels , where it reenters the tropical lowlands. From Aguadulce to
Penonomé, it stretches about . This section of highway crosses the
Santa María river. From Penonomé, the highway travels southeast, then northeast, then roughly north in a loop as it avoids crossing into Panama's Central Mountains. From Penonomé to
La Chorerra the distance is , while from La Chorerra, the distance is to
Balboa just west of
Panama City. Panama City is the capital and largest city in Panama. Before entering the city, the Pan-American Highway crosses over the Panama Canal on the
Centennial Bridge, From Panama City, the Highway turns northeast. From Panama City to
Chepo, the highest is roughly , from Chepo to
Cañita is another . At the village of Cañita is the old terminus of the northern route of the Pan-American Highway. The highway continues another past Cañita to the village of
Yaviza, a village near the junction of the
Tuira and
Chucunaque rivers. It is here that officially Pan-American Highway ends. Southeast of here is the virtually impenetrable
Darién Gap, a stretch of rugged, mountainous jungle terrain. It is now being extended 6 km to
Pinogana, which will include a bridge over the Chucunaque River. The road had formerly ended at Cañita, Panama, north of its current end. United States government funding was particularly significant to complete the high-level
Bridge of the Americas over the Panama Canal, during the years when the canal was administered by the United States. ==Darién Gap==