Western segment The western segment of US 2 extends west from the
Upper Peninsula of Michigan across the northern tier of the lower 48 states. Most of the western route was built roughly paralleling the
Great Northern Railway. US 2 adopted the railway's route nickname "The Highline" as the most northern crossing in the U.S. The
Adventure Cycling Association's Northern Tier Bicycle Route is a
bicycle touring route which follows or parallels US 2 for over , most notably a stretch between
Columbia Falls, Montana, and
Williston, North Dakota.
Washington Within
Washington, US 2 is the northernmost all-season highway through the
Cascade Mountains. It begins at
I-5 and
SR 529 in
Everett and travels east via
Stevens Pass. It intersects
US 97 approximately east of
Leavenworth and continues as a duplicate route crossing the Columbia River at
Wenatchee, then continues north as far as
Orondo, where US 97 splits north. US 2 continues to
Spokane and the border in
Newport.
Idaho Shortly after entering
Idaho from the west, US 2 crosses the
Priest River. US 2 follows
Pend Oreille River to its source at
Lake Pend Oreille. US 2 intersects
State Highway 57 in the town of
Priest River at mile 5.8. US 2 intersects
US 95 at mile 28.4 in the town of
Sandpoint. The two routes overlap for until just after
Bonners Ferry. At Three Mile Corner, US 2 continues southeast for where it crosses into
Montana.
Montana US 2 is a vital northern corridor for
Montana and has more mileage within Montana than in any other state. It intersects
US 93 at
Kalispell and passes through the southern end of
Glacier National Park, crossing the
Continental Divide at
Marias Pass, before it enters the
Great Plains west of
Browning. It travels through
Shelby where it meets
I-15, before it goes on to
Havre, where it meets the northern terminus of
US 87, intersecting with
US 191 in
Malta, and then onward to
Glasgow. The highway continues east and leaves the state near the
confluence of the
Missouri and
Yellowstone rivers.
North Dakota US 2 is an east–west highway that runs through
North Dakota's northern tier of larger cities:
Williston,
Minot,
Devils Lake, and
Grand Forks. US 2 intersects
US 85 at Williston,
US 52 and
US 83 at Minot,
US 281 at
Churchs Ferry (west of Devils Lake), and the
I-29/
US 81 concurrency at Grand Forks. US 2 is four lanes from North Dakota's eastern edge to just past Williston, a stretch of about , leaving the remaining to the Montana border as a two-lane highway. In
Rugby, just east of the route's intersection with
North Dakota Highway 3, the highway passes the location designated in 1931 as the geographical center of
North America. The monument marking the geographic center had to be relocated in 1971 when US 2 was converted from two to four lanes.
Minnesota The portion of US 2 from
Cass Lake to
Bemidji is officially designated the
Paul Bunyan Expressway. It also intersects
US 169 and the
Mississippi River in
Grand Rapids. At the crossing between
Duluth and
Superior, Wisconsin, the highway crosses the
Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge, about in length—roughly in length when the above land approaches are included. Of the of US 2 in Minnesota, have four lanes, mostly located in the northwest part of the state. Legally, the Minnesota section of US 2 is defined as Routes 8 and 203 in Minnesota Statutes §§
161.114(2) and
161.115(134).
Wisconsin After crossing the Bong Bridge and entering into the city of
Superior, Wisconsin's western segment of the highway joins Belknap Street. After crossing the midsection of Superior, US 2 merges with
US 53 for a few miles following East 2nd Street out of the city. US 53 and US 2 part ways outside of Superior. US 53 veers south toward
Eau Claire, while US 2 continues to the city of
Ashland and ultimately to the Wisconsin–Michigan state line at the city of
Ironwood. An eastern segment of US 2 re-enters Wisconsin northwest of
Florence and proceeds concurrently with
US 141 for until exiting Wisconsin again near
Iron Mountain, Michigan.
Michigan US 2 enters Michigan at the city of
Ironwood and runs east to the town of
Crystal Falls, where it turns south and re-enters Wisconsin northwest of
Florence. It re-enters Michigan north of
Iron Mountain and continues through the
Upper Peninsula of Michigan to the cities of
Escanaba,
Manistique, and
St. Ignace. Along the way, it cuts through the
Ottawa and
Hiawatha National Forests and follows the northern shore of
Lake Michigan. It ends at
I-75, just north of the
Mackinac Bridge in St. Ignace.
Eastern segment The eastern segment of US 2 traverses the northeastern part of New York and the northern
New England states.
New York The road starts at
US 11, just south of the Canadian border at
Rouses Point in
Champlain. From there, it crosses the
Richelieu River at the outlet of
Lake Champlain on the
Rouses Point Bridge into
Grand Isle County, Vermont. The road is less than long in the state.
Vermont US 2 traverses the length of Grand Isle County and crosses Lake Champlain over several bridges until it reaches the mainland in
Milton and
Chittenden County. From there, it travels south to
Burlington, where it begins to closely parallel
I-89 all the way to
Montpelier, in
Washington County. At Montpelier, the road turns northeastward, crossing into
Caledonia County and passing through
St. Johnsbury. It then passes into
Essex County and eventually crosses the
Connecticut River from
Guildhall into
Lancaster, New Hampshire.
New Hampshire Once into New Hampshire, the road continues southeastward, passing through
Jefferson (home to several small amusement parks and roadside attractions, such as
Santa's Village) before heading more easterly, skirting the northern edge of the
White Mountain National Forest into
Gorham, where it meets
Route 16, the major north–south roadway through the eastern half of the forest and past
Mount Washington. From Gorham, the road travels east along the southern banks of the
Androscoggin River to
Shelburne and eventually crosses into
Gilead, Maine. Throughout its entire stretch, the New Hampshire portion of US 2 is in
Coös County.
Maine US 2 travels from Gilead to
Houlton near
Houlton International Airport. US 2 ends at
I-95 just west of the Canadian border. ==History==