State Highway 149 is a 117.5 mi (189.1 km) long state highway

State highway

State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...

 in southwestern Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

. Its south end is at U.S. Route 160

U.S. Route 160

U.S. Route 160 is a 1,465 mile long east–west United States highway in the Midwestern United States. The western terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 89 five miles west of Tuba City, Arizona. The eastern terminus is at U.S...

 and its north end is at U.S. Route 50

U.S. Route 50

U.S. Route 50 is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching just over from Ocean City, Maryland on the Atlantic Ocean to West Sacramento, California. Until 1972, when it was replaced by Interstate Highways west of the Sacramento area, it extended to San Francisco, near...

.

Route description

SH 149 begins in the south at its junction with U.S. Highway 160 at South Fork

South Fork, Colorado

South Fork is a Statutory Town in Rio Grande County, Colorado, United States. The population was 604 at the 2000 census.-Geography:South Fork is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....

. From there the road winds its way generally northward through the San Juan Mountains

San Juan Mountains

The San Juan Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado. The area is highly mineralized and figured in the gold and silver mining industry of early Colorado. Major towns, all old mining camps, include Creede, Lake City, Silverton, Ouray, and...

. The first portion of the road parallels the upper Rio Grande River as it passes through Rio Grande National Forest

Rio Grande National Forest

Rio Grande National Forest is a 1.86 million acre U.S. National Forest located in southwestern Colorado. The forest encompasses the San Luis Valley, which is the world's largest agricultural alpine valley, as well as one of the worlds largest high deserts located around mountains. The...

. SH 149 winds through the mountains for 21 miles (33.8 km) before coming to the historic mining town of Creede

Creede, Colorado

The historic town of Creede is a Statutory Town that is the county seat of, and the only incorporated municipality in, Mineral County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 377 at the U.S. Census 2000.-History:...

. From there the road continues its climb into the mountains and eventually turns away from the Rio Grande to cross the Continental Divide

Continental Divide

The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Gulf of Division or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain...

 at Spring Creek Pass

Spring Creek Pass

Spring Creek Pass is a high mountain pass in Colorado traversed by State Highway 149. Slumgullion Pass lies just a few miles to its northwest, along the same highway....

 at an elevation of 10901 ft (3,323 m). At this point the road passes into Gunnison National Forest

Gunnison National Forest

The Gunnison National Forest is a U.S. National Forest covering 1,672,136 acres in Mesa, Gunnison, Hinsdale and Saguache Counties in Western part of the U.S. state of Colorado...

 and, after a brief descent, begins an even higher climb to Slumgullion Pass

Slumgullion Pass

Slumgullion Pass, elevation , is a mountain pass in Colorado traversed by State Highway 149 east of Lake City. The north side has the steepest grade of any continuously paved road in Colorado , but the pass does not close often in winter because snowplows clear the route regularly during this season...

 elevated 11361 ft (3,463 m). From there the road drops to the town of Lake City

Lake City, Colorado

The Town of Lake City is a Statutory Town that is the county seat of, and the only incorporated municipality in, Hinsdale County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 375 at the U.S. Census 2000...

 where it begins to parallel Lake Fork

Lake Fork Gunnison River

Lake Fork Gunnison River or Lake Fork is a tributary of the Gunnison River in Colorado. The river's source is Sloan Lake near Handies Peak in the San Juan Mountains of Hinsdale County. Lake Fork flows through Lake San Cristobal and Lake City before a confluence with the Gunnison River in Blue...

, a tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Gunnison River

Gunnison River

The Gunnison River is a tributary of the Colorado River, long, in the Southwest state of Colorado. It is the fifth largest tributary of the Colorado River, with a mean flow of 4320 ft³/s .-Description:...

. SH 149 follows Lake Fork down out of the mountains and eventually turns away to the east passing just north of Powderhorn

Powderhorn, Colorado

Powderhorn is an unincorporated town and a U.S. Post Office in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. The Powderhorn Post Office has the ZIP Code 81243.- Geography :Powderhorn is located at ....

 where the road again turns northward. After skirting the southern edge of Curecanti National Recreation Area

Curecanti National Recreation Area

Curecanti National Recreation Area, in Colorado, is formed by three reservoirs, named for corresponding dams on the Gunnison River. The national recreation area borders Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park on the west...

, the highway crosses the Gunnison River and finally reaches its northern terminus at U.S. Highway 50 approximately nine miles west of Gunnison

Gunnison, Colorado

The historic City of Gunnison, a Home Rule Municipality, is the county seat and the most populous city of Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,854. It was named in honor of John W...

. There are no major junctions along its entire length.

Major intersections

County	Location	Mile	Destination	Notes
Rio Grande Rio Grande County, Colorado Rio Grande County is one of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county is named for the Rio Grande , which flows through the county. The county population was 12,413 at U.S. Census 2000...		0.000		South end of route
Mineral Mineral County, Colorado Mineral County is the second least populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county was named for the many valuable minerals found in the mountains and streams of the area. The county population was 831 at U.S. Census 2000...	No major junctions in Mineral County
Hinsdale Hinsdale County, Colorado Hinsdale County is the least densely populated of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 790 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat and the only municipality in the county is the Town of Lake City. Hinsdale County is named for George A. Hinsdale, a...	No major junctions in Hinsdale County
Gunnison Gunnison County, Colorado Gunnison County is the fifth most extensive of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado in the United States. The county population was 15,324 at the 2010 census. The county was named for John W. Gunnison, a United States Army officer and captain in the Army Topographical Engineers, who surveyed...		117.522		North end of route