US 61 enters Minnesota at
La Crescent on the River Bridge over the Mississippi River between La Crescent and
La Crosse. US 61
runs concurrently with
US 14 and
State Highway 16 (MN 16) as it enters the state. The four-lane
divided highway continues north through La Crescent. US 61 follows the Mississippi River in southeast Minnesota through the cities of
Winona,
Wabasha,
Lake City, and
Red Wing. US 61 is a two-lane roadway between Wabasha and Red Wing. It crosses the Mississippi River at
Hastings over the
Hastings Bridge and joins
US 10 at
Cottage Grove. US 61 and US 10 run concurrently as a
freeway between Cottage Grove and
Saint Paul. In Saint Paul, US 61 follows
I-94 for a short distance, then Mounds Boulevard, East 7th Street, and Arcade Street. It then proceeds north to
Maplewood, where it becomes a four-lane highway named Maplewood Drive to
White Bear Lake. Between
I-694 and the central business district of White Bear Lake, the road serves one of the Twin Cities region's major car dealership areas. After leaving White Bear Lake, US 61 is a two-lane roadway again to
Forest Lake and then to its northern terminus in Wyoming. US 61 closely parallels
I-35E and
I-35 from Saint Paul to Wyoming. About of US 61 from La Crescent to Cottage Grove is officially designated the Disabled American Veterans Highway. The Minnesota section of US 61 is defined as unmarked
legislative routes 3, 104, 102 and 1, in the Minnesota Statutes, but it is not marked with these numbers. {{wide image|La Crosse area view over I-90.jpg|600px|US 14/US 61 junction with I-90|75%|center ==History==