From Las Vegas, Nevada, I-15 winds and slightly inclines through the Virgin River Gorge in northwest Arizona, then in Utah it crosses the border in Washington County. Heading north-northeast it continues with two lanes in each direction and maintaining this two-lane configuration until it reaches the Wasatch Front in the north central part of the state. Just past the border there is a port of entry on each side of the freeway. These ports of entry (weigh stations) are jointly operated by the states of Utah and Arizona and are the first northbound exit and last southbound exit on I-15 in Utah. The route turns north as it passes the Bloomington area of city of St. George and an interchange with Southern Parkway (SR-7) before it crosses the Virgin River. (SR-7 provides access to the new St. George Regional Airport.) Immediately north of the Virgin River, and partially spanning the Santa Clara River, is the new Dixie Drive interchange. After the interchange with Bluff Street (SR-18) I-15 turns northeast again and passes the eastern side of downtown St. George, with an interchange with St. George Boulevard (SR-34). These two interchanges are the southern and northern ends of the St. George I-15 Business Loop. From this point north I-15 generally follows the route of the Old US-91 to the northern border of Utah. (The route of Old US-91, in turn, followed the older Arrowhead Trail highway to Salt Lake City.) After leaving St. George, I-15 continues northeast and passes through the northern part of the city of Washington, with interchanges at Green Springs Drive, Washington Parkway, and State Street (SR-9). Northeast of Washington I-15 passes through the northwestern side of the town of Leeds, with one-way interchanges on the southwest and northeast ends of town. After passing through the northwestern part of Toquerville, and an interchange with SR-17 (at Anderson Junction), I-15 resumes a more north-northeastern course as it ascends about 1,000 feet (300 m) higher on the Colorado Plateau. Along the way it passes through the areas of Browse and Pintura, with interchanges at both, as well as two more ranch exits further northeast. After its ascent, it passes by the east of side of Ash Creek Reservoir and then by the northwest corner of Zion National Park, with an interchange providing access to the Kolob Canyon area of the park. Next is an interchange that provides access to New Harmony (several miles west) and Kanarraville (several miles to the northeast). This interchange is also at the border of Washington County and Iron County. Just after entering Iron County, I-15 reaches the southern most rest areas along its route within the state (with one each, northbound and southbound). After passing about a mile west of Kanarraville it reaches an interchange in Hamilton Fort. The freeway then briefly turns nearly east before turning north again to pass through the west side of Cedar City. The first interchange is at the southern end of SR-130 (Main Street) and the Cedar City I-15 Business Loop. Just north is the 200 South (SR-56) interchange, which provides access to downtown Cedar City as well as the Cedar City Regional Airport. After this interchange, the freeway turns northeast before the final Cedar City interchange with SR-130 (once again). This interchange is also the northern end of the Cedar City I-15 Business Loop, although no longer indicated as such by signage. The freeway then passes by the eastern edge of Enoch, but without an interchange within that city. After an interchange within the area of Summit I-15 heads east-northeast before passing by the northwest edge of Parowan, with interchanges on the west (200 South/SR-143) and north (Main Street/SR-274) sides of town. After Parowan, the freeway curves back to a northeast course as it passes about a mile west of Paragonah and reaches an interchange on the north side of that city (SR-271). Continuing northeast it reaches the next pair of rest areas before an interchange with SR-20 and then a ranch exit (exit 100) before leaving Iron County.

• published: 01 Dec 2016
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