Western Slope
From Durango, the San Juan Skyway loops a whole mountain range
People in Durango talk about US 550 mostly in winter, when storms can shut the passes north of town. But that same road is the start of one of the country’s great drives, and it is worth knowing in summer too.
From Durango, the San Juan Skyway runs a 232-mile loop through the San Juan Mountains. It climbs north over Coal Bank and Molas passes to Silverton, then takes the Million Dollar Highway to Ouray, swings west to Ridgway and Telluride, and comes back through Dolores, Cortez, and Mancos. You end up where you started, having circled an entire range.
The Million Dollar Highway, the Silverton-to-Ouray stretch over Red Mountain Pass, is the part people remember. Even the name is a small mystery; Visit Durango notes it may come from the cost to build the road or the value of the ore-bearing gravel used as fill. No one is quite sure.
The Skyway is named an All-American Road, the top federal tier for a scenic byway, so you are not imagining how good it looks. Plan a full day. Pieces of it have steep drop-offs and no guardrail, and winter conditions are their own story, covered in our note on US 550 pass closures.
For mile-by-mile details and current advice, see Visit Durango’s San Juan Skyway page.
Sources
Official or primary sources used for this note. Local details can change, so confirm before acting.