State Highway 165 is a 37.1 mi (59.7 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 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 165 begins in the west at a junction with State Highway 96

Colorado State Highway 96

State Highway 96 is a state highway in eastern Colorado. Its eastern terminus is at the Kansas state line east of Towner where it continues as K-96; its western terminus is at State Highway 69 at Westcliffe....

 roughly fifteen miles east of Silver Cliff

Silver Cliff, Colorado

Silver Cliff is a Statutory Town that is the most populous town in Custer County, Colorado, United States. The population was 512 at the 2000 census.-History:...

. From there the road proceeds to the southeast through portions of San Isabel National Forest

San Isabel National Forest

San Isabel National Forest is located in central Colorado. The forest contains 19 of the state's 54 fourteeners, peaks over high, including Mount Elbert, the highest point in Colorado....

. One notable attraction on the route is Bishop Castle

Bishop Castle

Bishop Castle started as a family construction project situated in the Wet Mountains of Southern Colorado in the San Isabel National Forest located North West of Rye, Colorado...

, about 12 miles (19.3 km) south of SH 96

Colorado State Highway 96

State Highway 96 is a state highway in eastern Colorado. Its eastern terminus is at the Kansas state line east of Towner where it continues as K-96; its western terminus is at State Highway 69 at Westcliffe....

.
After Fairview, the highway meets the southwest end of State Highway 78

Colorado State Highway 78

State Highway 78 is a highway connecting Pueblo to the town of Beulah and the San Isabel National Forest.-Route description:SH 78 runs , starting at a junction with Colorado State Highway 165 in San Isabel National Forest and ending at a junction with Colorado State Highway 45 in Pueblo...

 near San Isabel, through which SH 165 also passes. After San Isabel, the highway turns more nearly easterly and passes out of the national forest and though Rye

Rye, Colorado

Rye is a Statutory Town in Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. It is part of the Pueblo, Colorado Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 202 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rye is located at ....

. The route continues east through Colorado City

Colorado City, Colorado

Colorado City is a census-designated place in Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. It is part of the Pueblo Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,193 at the 2010 census...

 before reaching its eastern terminus at exit 74 of Interstate 25.

Major intersections

County	Location	Mile	Destination	Notes
Custer Custer County, Colorado Custer County is the tenth least populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 3,503 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is Westcliffe.- History :...		0.000
		15.310
Pueblo Pueblo County, Colorado Pueblo County is the tenth most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county was named for the historic city of Pueblo which took its name from the Spanish language word meaning "town" or "village". The United States Census Bureau estimates that the...		36.894