# What's the highest numbered mile marker in the US? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 17, 2005, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-numbered-mile-marker-in-the-us/326629 "2005-10-17T18:33:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-numbered-mile-marker-in-the-us/326629/1 "2005-10-17T18:33:06Z")
Mile markers are installed along many roads in the US. The mile markers are numbered consecutively, beginning at the south or the west. So with all the roads we have in the US, what’s the highest mile marker I could find. In addition, what’s the highest exit number in the US? Usually exits numbers are tied to their mile marker. So exit 257 means it’s around mile marker 257. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-numbered-mile-marker-in-the-us/326629/2 "2005-10-17T18:38:37Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > Mile markers are installed along many roads in the US. The mile markers are numbered consecutively, beginning at the south or the west. > > So with all the roads we have in the US, what’s the highest mile marker I could find. > > In addition, what’s the highest exit number in the US? Usually exits numbers are tied to their mile marker. So exit 257 means it’s around mile marker 257. At a guess, it would be at the north end of Interstate 5 in California. There are 796 miles of it in California, according to Wikipedia. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-numbered-mile-marker-in-the-us/326629/3 "2005-10-17T18:42:24Z")
Indeed, Exit 796 is for Hilt Road, outside the town of Hilt, CA. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-numbered-mile-marker-in-the-us/326629/4 "2005-10-17T18:45:31Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > Indeed, Exit 796 is for Hilt Road, outside the town of Hilt, CA. In Texas, the exit numbers on Interstate 10 get above 870 in the eastern part of the state. I believe those are the highest in the country. Ed ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-numbered-mile-marker-in-the-us/326629/5 "2005-10-17T18:45:43Z")
It is possible that US 101 is longer, because although it no longer starts in San Diego, it does wind along the coast quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-numbered-mile-marker-in-the-us/326629/6 "2005-10-17T18:50:57Z")
There’s an exit 878 on Interstate 10 just north of Orange, Texas. So that may be tyhe highest number. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-numbered-mile-marker-in-the-us/326629/7 "2005-10-17T19:29:00Z")
> [@](#): > > The traditional or historical milepost figures established at the end of the Alaska Highway are Milepost 1422 at Delta Junction and Milepost 1520 at Fairbanks, although early government reports show 1420 at Delta and 1519 at Fairbanks, probably reflecting some confusion as to the city limits. The 1949 edition of The MILEPOST® travel planner and guide and the Mile Zero post erected in Dawson Creek in 1946 show Fairbanks at Mile 1523. Source: [http://www.themilepost.com/highway.html](http://www.themilepost.com/highway.html) ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-numbered-mile-marker-in-the-us/326629/8 "2005-10-18T02:48:21Z")
Several years ago I was at a meeting in Tarrytown, NY, and had an evening flight out of Newburgh, NY. The locals told me to take a certain bridge, then take exit 17. I crossed the bridge right away at the beginning of the drive, and the very next exit was exit 13. Great - only four more miles! An hour later I was still driving on that same road - the exits were numbered consecutively, not by mile, and the exits were about 20 miles apart! ---
**Author:** ![dqa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dqa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dqa)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-numbered-mile-marker-in-the-us/326629/9 "2005-10-18T06:12:05Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > There’s an exit 878 on Interstate 10 just north of Orange, Texas. So that may be tyhe highest number. There is an Exit 880, which is basically just a turnaround to get back on I-10 going westbound, as you are about to cross the river into Louisiana. The mile marker there is also 880.