Montana Highway 56

Montana Highway 56 marker
Montana Highway 56
Map
MT 56 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MDT
Length34.646 mi[1] (55.757 km)
Major junctions
South end MT 200 west of Noxon
North end US 2 east of Troy
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMontana
CountiesSanders, Lincoln
Highway system
MT 55 MT 59
Highway 56 wends its way north through the Bull River valley toward Bull Lake. (Aerial photograph, 2013)

Highway 56 in the U.S. state of Montana is a route running in a northerly direction from an intersection with Montana Highway 200 between Noxon and Heron at an area locally known as "Bull River Junction", about 10 miles (16 km) east of the Idaho state line. The highway extends approximately 35 miles (56 km) to a northern terminus at an intersection with U.S. Route 2, about 3 miles (4.8 km) east of the town of Troy. The highway passes through a forested, mountainous landscape, and travels along the eastern shore of Bull Lake; the Cabinet Mountains are to the east. The entire route is within the boundary of the Kootenai National Forest. Highway 56 is known locally as the "Bull Lake Road" and "Bull River Highway".[2]

History

Before receiving its current designation in 1978, Highway 56 was designated as Montana Secondary Highway 202.[3] The valley is a rarity in that drainage occurs in opposite directions, as Bull River runs south to the Clark Fork River and Bull Lake drains into Lake Creek, which continues north into the Kootenai River.

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
SandersNoxon0.0000.000 MT 200 – Thompson Falls, SpokaneSouthern terminus of MT 56
LincolnTroy34.64655.757 US 2 – Troy, LibbyNorthern terminus of MT 56
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ a b Montana Department of Transportation (January 19, 2022). "ALTIS Road Log Report" (PDF). Helena: Montana Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  2. ^ Official 2007-2008 Montana Highway Travel Map (PDF) (Map). Montana Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
  3. ^ The Official Montana 1977 Highway Map (PDF) (Map). 1 inch = 22 miles. Cartography by H.M. Gousha Company. Montana Department of Transportation. 1977. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
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