Million Dollar Highway
Ouray to Silverton, CO · San Juan Mountains
The twelve miles of US 550 south of Ouray climb the Uncompahgre Gorge to the 11,018-foot summit of Red Mountain Pass, hugging cliffs carved straight into the rock with no…
Photo: Tobias (paraflyer) / CC BY 2.0
Mountains
San Juan Skyway
About
The San Juan Skyway loops 236 miles from Durango through the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado, about six hours of driving by CDOT's count. US 550 takes the east side over Red Mountain Pass, the high point of the loop, and through a snow shed at the Riverside Slide. That avalanche zone has a monument to the people who died there, snowplow operators among them. On the west side, SH 145 crosses Lizard Head Pass in view of Mount Wilson, El Diente Peak and Wilson Peak, all three over 14,000 feet. Parts of the road have steep drop-offs and no guardrails. In summer, cross the passes in the morning, before the afternoon thundershowers.
Highlights
236-mile loop, an All-American RoadMillion Dollar Highway, Ouray to SilvertonAspens peak late September to early OctoberThrough Durango, Silverton, Ouray and CortezAbout six hours of driving
Getting there
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Mountains
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