The "Oh My God Road" Between Idaho Springs and Central City

Most people get between Idaho Springs and the Central City casinos on the paved highway. There is an older way, and it earned a nickname: the “Oh My God Road.” Its real name is Virginia Canyon Road, an unpaved shelf route that climbs out of Idaho Springs on narrow, curving lanes and threads through the mountains for roughly seven and a half miles.

The county tourism bureau calls it “a drive on the wild side,” and the views explain the name. You look out toward Mount Blue Sky, Echo Mountain Resort, and the Continental Divide. The road also passes through historic mining country and the old ghost town of Russell Gulch, so the weathered headframes and tailings you spot are the real leftovers of the gold rush, not a re-creation.

This is planning, not a warning-off: it is a dirt road with switchbacks and few guardrails, so it suits dry weather and a vehicle that can take it slow. At each switchback, stay to the right. Go gently, pull over for the photo, and let the canyon do the talking.

For current conditions and a map, check the Clear Creek County Tourism Bureau’s Idaho Springs page.