H-63 (Michigan county highway)
Encyclopedia
H-63 is a county-designated highway (CDH) in the Upper Peninsula
of Michigan
that follows along the Interstate 75
(I-75) corridor between St. Ignace
and Sault Ste. Marie
. The road is known as the Mackinac Trail
, named for an Indian trail used before European settlers reached the area. Later the roadway was used as a section of US Highway 2
(US 2) before being added to the CDH system in the 1970s.
H-63 serves as a two-lane alternative to the I-75 freeway across the eastern end of the Upper Peninsula. Between the northern side of St. Ignace, the roadway has connections to two state highways before running concurrently
with M-48
near Rudyard. H-63 ends on the south side of Sault Ste. Marie.
and heads north towards the new Kewadin Casino. The road then passes within viewing distance of I-75, past the Horseshoe Bay Wilderness
, to the southern terminus of M-123
with access to I-75 via a connecting road to M-123. After crossing to the west side of I-75, H-63 has access to I-75 via the western terminus of M-134
. The highway goes north at the furthest point away from I-75 on the entire trail there is a concurrency
with M-48
from south of Rudyard to downtown Rudyard. Near the northern terminus of the Mackinac Trail there is an exit from I-75 south at the western terminus of M-80
in Kinross. The trail then crosses to the eastern side of I-75 then continues north to the northern terminus at Business Spur I-75 in Sault Ste. Marie
.
Before the completion of I-75 in the Upper Peninsula, the roadway now designated H-63 was a state highway. It was originally part of US Highway 2
(US 2). Beginning in 1933, US 2 was rerouted between St. Ignace and Sault Ste. Marie using the modern routing of H-63. This section of roadway was transferred back to county control in 1962 and 1963 when US 2 was transferred to the completed I-75 freeway. H-63 was designated after October 5, 1970 as part of the County-Designated Highway System. The designation on the 1971 state map follows the routing used today.
Upper Peninsula of Michigan
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as the Upper Peninsula, the U.P., or Upper Michigan. It is also known as the land "above the Bridge" linking the two peninsulas. The peninsula is bounded...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
that follows along the Interstate 75
Interstate 75 in Michigan
Interstate 75 is a part of the Interstate Highway System and runs from Miami, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I-75 enters the state from Ohio in the south, just to the north of Toledo. It runs generally north through Detroit, Pontiac and Bay City, crossing the...
(I-75) corridor between St. Ignace
St. Ignace, Michigan
Saint Ignace, usually written as St. Ignace, is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,678. It is the county seat of Mackinac County. From the Lower Peninsula, St. Ignace is the gateway to the Upper Peninsula.St...
and Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
. The road is known as the Mackinac Trail
Mackinac Trail
Mackinac Trail, or Mackinaw Trail is the name for two related, but separate, roadways in the US state of Michigan. The original Mackinac Trail was an Indian Trail that lent its name to the roadways that replaced it. The trail ran from the modern Saginaw to Mackinaw City in the Lower Peninsula with...
, named for an Indian trail used before European settlers reached the area. Later the roadway was used as a section of US Highway 2
U.S. Route 2 in Michigan
US Highway 2 is a component of the United States Numbered Highway System that connects Everett, Washington, to the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan, with a separate segment that runs from Rouses Point, New York, to Houlton, Maine...
(US 2) before being added to the CDH system in the 1970s.
H-63 serves as a two-lane alternative to the I-75 freeway across the eastern end of the Upper Peninsula. Between the northern side of St. Ignace, the roadway has connections to two state highways before running concurrently
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
with M-48
M-48 (Michigan highway)
M-48 is an east–west state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It connects Rudyard with Pickford and continues to the far eastern end of the UP. The highway runs for through rural parts of Chippewa County, including along the county line with Mackinac County...
near Rudyard. H-63 ends on the south side of Sault Ste. Marie.
Route description
H-63 starts a winding trail at Business Loop I-75 in northern St. IgnaceSt. Ignace, Michigan
Saint Ignace, usually written as St. Ignace, is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,678. It is the county seat of Mackinac County. From the Lower Peninsula, St. Ignace is the gateway to the Upper Peninsula.St...
and heads north towards the new Kewadin Casino. The road then passes within viewing distance of I-75, past the Horseshoe Bay Wilderness
Horseshoe Bay Wilderness
The Horseshoe Bay Wilderness is a wilderness area in the U.S. state of Michigan. It borders Horseshoe Bay, a shallow bay that is part of the extreme northwest corner of Lake Huron adjacent to the Straits of Mackinac...
, to the southern terminus of M-123
M-123 (Michigan highway)
M-123 is a state trunkline highway in the eastern Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is one of only a few highways in Michigan that curve around and form a U-shape. In fact, M-123 has three intersections with only two state trunklines. It meets M-28 twice as a result of its U-shaped...
with access to I-75 via a connecting road to M-123. After crossing to the west side of I-75, H-63 has access to I-75 via the western terminus of M-134
M-134 (Michigan highway)
M-134 is a state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It connects Interstate 75 north of St. Ignace with the communities of Cedarville and De Tour Village along Lake Huron. East of De Tour, the highway crosses the De Tour Passage on a ferry to run south of the...
. The highway goes north at the furthest point away from I-75 on the entire trail there is a concurrency
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
with M-48
M-48 (Michigan highway)
M-48 is an east–west state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It connects Rudyard with Pickford and continues to the far eastern end of the UP. The highway runs for through rural parts of Chippewa County, including along the county line with Mackinac County...
from south of Rudyard to downtown Rudyard. Near the northern terminus of the Mackinac Trail there is an exit from I-75 south at the western terminus of M-80
M-80 (Michigan highway)
M-80 is a state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It runs from Kinross to M-129 near Donaldson. The highway serves the site of the former Kincheloe Air Force Base and the current Chippewa County International Airport...
in Kinross. The trail then crosses to the eastern side of I-75 then continues north to the northern terminus at Business Spur I-75 in Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
.
History
The first transportation route in the area was the Mackinac Trail, used by Native Americans before the Europeans arrived in the area.Before the completion of I-75 in the Upper Peninsula, the roadway now designated H-63 was a state highway. It was originally part of US Highway 2
U.S. Route 2 in Michigan
US Highway 2 is a component of the United States Numbered Highway System that connects Everett, Washington, to the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan, with a separate segment that runs from Rouses Point, New York, to Houlton, Maine...
(US 2). Beginning in 1933, US 2 was rerouted between St. Ignace and Sault Ste. Marie using the modern routing of H-63. This section of roadway was transferred back to county control in 1962 and 1963 when US 2 was transferred to the completed I-75 freeway. H-63 was designated after October 5, 1970 as part of the County-Designated Highway System. The designation on the 1971 state map follows the routing used today.