In Oklahoma, US-385 runs through Cimarron County at the end of the Oklahoma panhandle. Fourteen miles north of the border, it joins with US-56, US-64, and US-412. The three highways run northeast into the county seat, Boise City. In the middle of town, the highways come to a traffic circle surrounding the Cimarron County Courthouse. The traffic circle serves seven highways : U.S. Routes 56, 64, 287, 385 and 412, and State Highways 3 and 325. Every numbered highway in the county except one meets at this traffic circle. After leaving the circle, US-385 heads northward, overlapping US-287 and SH-3, the state's longest state highway. SH-3 ends at the state line while US-287/385 continue north into Colorado. The section of US-385 that overlaps SH-3 is also signed as Governor George Nigh's Northwest Passage, after the governor of Oklahoma responsible for improvements to the corridor.
Colorado
U.S. 385 passes north-south through the easternmost counties of Colorado. It enters Colorado south of Campo on an overlap with U.S. Route 287. The overlap continues north until Lamar. At Lamar, the route turns east on an overlap with U.S. Route 50 and this overlap ends in Granada. The highway turns north at Granada and meets Interstate 70 at Burlington and Interstate 76 at Julesburg. The highway leaves Colorado northwest of Julesburg.
U.S. 385 passes north-south through the Nebraska Panhandle. It enters Nebraska south of Chappell and overlaps U.S. Route 30 between Chappell and Sidney. At Sidney, it turns north, meeting U.S. Route 26 at Bridgeport. It goes through Alliance before intersecting U.S. Route 20 at Chadron. It exits the state northwest of Chadron. Throughout its entire length in Nebraska, US 385 is known as the Gold Rush Byway, one of nine scenic byways in the state.
U.S. 385 enters South Dakota south of Oelrichs. It is overlapped with U.S. Route 18 between Oelrichs and Hot Springs. It turns north and enters Wind Cave National Park before turning west to go through Pringle. At Custer, it begins an overlap with U.S. Route 16, which ends near Hill City. It gradually turns northwesterly and ends at an intersection with U.S. Route 85 at Deadwood. Legally, the South Dakota section of U.S. 385, with the exception of concurrencies with U.S. 18 and U.S. 16 and a gap at Wind Cave National Park, is defined at South Dakota Codified Laws § 31-4-235.
History
Today's US 385 is the second route to bear the number. The original route eventually became part of US 87. This US 385 designation was decommissioned around 1935. The current US 385 first appeared in 1959. Originally, the route continued along US 287 north of Lamar, Colorado, splitting in Kit Carson to follow US 40 east to meet up with the present-day alignment in Cheyenne Wells. In South Dakota, in 2009, the South Dakota Department of Transportation designated US 16/US 385 between Custer and Hill City, which passes by the Crazy Horse Memorial, now being carved in the Black Hills. This segment of US 385 is also a part of the George Hearst Memorial Highway.
