Imagine, traveling a highway that traverses seven national parks and 14 national monuments through 5 states. That stretches from the Canadian border to the Mexican border.

You would think that’s a roadway that most Americans would be familiar with.

Except, U.S. Route 89, while serving as Main Street for many American cities, large and small, is a road that few Americans have heard of.

U.S. Route 89 is a north–south highway featuring two sections, and one former section.

For most of its nearly 2,000 miles, it is a two-lane road. You are kept close to the scenery providing ample opportunities to stop and experience the best America has to offer.

The southern section begins in Flagstaff, Arizona and runs for 848 miles to the southern entrance of Yellowstone National Park. The northern section runs for 404 miles from the northern entrance of Yellowstone National Park in Montana, ending at the Canada–U.S. border.

Unnumbered roads through Yellowstone connect the two sections. Before 1992, U.S. Highway 89 was a Canada to Mexico, border-to-border, highway that ended at Nogales, Arizona, on its southern end.

Often called the National Park Highway, U.S. 89 links seven national parks across the Mountain West. In addition, fourteen other national park areas, mostly national monuments, are also reachable from this backbone of the Rockies.

Arizona

Today, U.S. 89 begins at Flagstaff, Arizona. The highway proceeds north passing near Grand Canyon National Park and through the Navajo Nation. Near the Utah state line, the highway splits into U.S. 89 and U.S. 89A. The Alternate is the original highway; what is now the main highway was constructed in the 1960s to serve the Glen Canyon Dam. The two highways rejoin in Kanab, Utah.

The main branch passes over the Colorado River just south of the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell near Page, Arizona, and then it enters Utah.

Prior to 1992, the southern terminus of U.S. 89 was at Nogales, Arizona, and the highway proceeded to Flagstaff, along what is now I-19.

Just north of the Mexican border in Arizona is the Tumacacori National Monument. Saguaro National Park is the first national park, in Tucson. Short links from Highway 89 take motorists to the Casa Grande National Monument and the Hohokam Pima National Monument, before reaching Phoenix.

Approaching Flagstaff there are four national monuments, including Tuzigoot National Monument, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Sunset Crater National Monument, and Wupatki National Monument. North of Flagstaff is the Grand Canyon National Park, the second of the seven national parks along this highway.

Utah

From Kanab U.S. 89 proceeds north passing by Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park. It eventually enters Sevier County, Utah, and the Sanpete Valleys. The highway then passes by Thistle, Utah, a ghost town that was destroyed by a lake resulting from a landslide in 1983. The highway then enters the Wasatch Front where U.S. 89 becomes the main street for many of the largest cities in Utah.

In Ogden, the highway is Washington Blvd. From Ogden the highway runs north until it reaches Brigham City, Utah, where it turns east to serve the Cache Valley and Logan, Utah.

In Logan, U.S. 89 forms the southern portion of Main Street before splitting off to the east, passing by the campus of Utah State University. The highway next proceeds up Logan Canyon to Bear Lake where the highway exits Utah.

Two sections of U.S. 89 in Utah have been designated Scenic Byways. The Kanab to Mt. Carmel and Long Valley Scenic Byway is a designated Utah Scenic Byway.

Utah is dominated by the Colorado Plateau. Along U.S. 89 are Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Cedar Breaks National Monument. Although not readily adjacent to U.S. 89, the Capitol Reef National Park is accessible from U.S. 89. U.S. 89 leaves northern Utah well-north of Salt Lake City and Timpanogos Cave National Monument and the Golden Spike National Historic Site.

Idaho

In Idaho, the highway partially circumnavigates Bear Lake which straddles the Utah-Idaho state line.

Bear Lake boasts sandy beaches, great water sports, fishing, boating, and the famous Bear Lake State Park. The lake has been called the Caribbean of the Rockies because of its distinctive turquoise waters.

In Montpelier, visitors can learn about the great migration west at the National Oregon-California Trail Center. There are 13 Oregon-California Trail sites identified in the Soda Springs area. Soda Springs is also home to the world’s only captive geyser, timed to spout into the air every hour.

Wyoming

In Wyoming, U.S. 89 passes through many scenic sites including Grand Teton National Park, the Jackson Hole valley, the Snake River Canyon, and the Star Valley.

Passing northward along the western border of Wyoming with Idaho, U.S. 89 enters the Grand Teton National Park. Here, U.S. 89 is the backbone visitor highway for two U.S. National Parks.

Montana

U.S. 89 enters Montana at the North Entrance of Yellowstone National Park. It traverses the width of the state before approaching Glacier National Park. At St. Mary, Montana, U.S. 89 is the access highway to Glacier Route One, also known as the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

The byway is a 71-mile route that begins on U.S. 89 at its junction with U.S. 12. From the junction of the byway, it travels north through the Lewis and Clark National Forest through the communities of Neihart and Monarch.

The route offers access to the Showdown Ski Area and Sluice Boxes State Park. The route travels over the Kings Hill Pass which snow removal crews work to keep open throughout the winter season.

Alberta

The northern terminus of U.S. 89 is at the Canada–U.S. border. There, the highway continues into Canada as Alberta Highway 2, a core route in the National Highway System of Canada.

From there it proceeds to Calgary and Edmonton, and then on to Northern Alberta.