Texas State Highway 166

State Highway 166 marker
State Highway 166
Map
SH 166 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by TxDOT
Length43.089 mi[1] (69.345 km)
Existed1927[2]–present
Tourist
routes
Davis Mountains State Park Highway[3]
Restrictions10' maximum width between SH 118 and FM 505[4]
Major junctions
West end SH 118
Major intersections RM 505
East end SH 17 near Fort Davis
Location
CountryUnited States
StateTexas
CountiesJeff Davis
Highway system
SH 165 SH 167
State Highway 166 winds toward Sawtooth Mountain in the distance. Thick growths of shrubs and small trees are along both sides of the road. Sawtooth Mountain has rugged outcrops of rock at its summit giving the mountain its name. Shrubs partially cover the mountains flanks.
SH 166 near Sawtooth Mountain in western Jeff Davis County

State Highway 166 (SH 166) runs for 43.0 miles (69.2 km) from SH 118 near Nunn Hill in northern Jeff Davis County, Texas passing around a major portion of the Davis Mountains before ending at SH 17 about two miles south of Fort Davis. The highway is maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).

The scenic highway was originally a longer loop around the mountain range and was envisioned in 1927 as a "state park highway" until an actual state park could be established in the area. SH 166 facilitated construction of Davis Mountains State Park and the University of Texas at Austin's McDonald Observatory during the 1930s.

SH 166 is located entirely within Jeff Davis County and forms part of the route linking Fort Davis, the county seat, to Valentine, the county's only incorporated town. The highway link to Valentine is the only highway intersection between the termini of SH 166, and the rural route does not pass through any cities or towns.

  1. ^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway No. 166". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
  2. ^ Gammel, Hans Peter Mareus Neilsen, ed. (1927). "Chapter 37: Davis Mountains State Park Highway". General and Special Laws of the State of Texas Passed by the Fortieth Legislature at the First Called Session. The Laws of Texas [Volume 25]. Austin, Texas: Gammel's Book Store. pp. 110–111. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
  3. ^ "Davis Mountains State Park Highway" (PDF). Texas Department of Transportation. February 2, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
  4. ^ "El Paso District Permit Restrictions". Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. April 6, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2013.