State Highway 159 is a 33.6 mi (54.1 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 far southern 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...

.

Route description

SH 159 starts in the south at the New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

 state line where the road becomes New Mexico State Road 522

New Mexico State Road 522

State Road 522 is a long state highway in far northern New Mexico. The road begins in the south at its junction with U.S. Route 64 approximately four miles north of Taos. From there, NM 522 heads north through Arroyo Hondo, Questa, and Costilla before ending at the Colorado state line where the...

 which heads south towards Taos, NM

Taos, New Mexico

Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico, incorporated in 1934. As of the 2000 census, its population was 4,700. Other nearby communities include Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, and El Prado. The town is close to Taos Pueblo, the Native American...

. From the state line the road heads north to meet U.S. Highway 160 at its north end just outside Fort Garland

Fort Garland, Colorado

Fort Garland is a census-designated place in Costilla County, Colorado, United States. The population was 433 at the 2010 census. The Fort Garland Post Office has the ZIP Code 81133.-General Information:...

. There is only one town along the route, San Luis

San Luis, Colorado

The Town of San Luis is a statutory town that is the county seat and the most populous town of Costilla County, Colorado, United States. The population was 739 at the 2000 census.-History:...

, which is at the road's midpoint. San Luis is also the site of SH 159's junction with State Highway 142

Colorado State Highway 142

State Highway 142 is a long state highway in southern Colorado.-Route description:SH 142 begins in the west at its junction with U.S. Highway 285 mere feet outside the city limits of Romeo. The route heads east through the towns of Manassa and San Acacio before reaching its eastern terminus at...

, the only significant junction along the route.

History

The route was established in the 1920s and paved by 1938. The route remains as it was when established.

Major intersections

The entire route is located in Costilla County

Costilla County, Colorado

Costilla County is the ninth least populous of the 64 counties in the state of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 3,663 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is San Luis, the oldest town in Colorado.- History :...

.

Location	Mile	Destination	Notes
	0.000	at the New Mexico New Mexico New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...  state line	South end of route
San Luis San Luis, Colorado The Town of San Luis is a statutory town that is the county seat and the most populous town of Costilla County, Colorado, United States. The population was 739 at the 2000 census.-History:...	17.929
	33.661		North end of route