Molas Pass Overlook

The stretch of US 550 that climbs over Molas Pass and on to the famous cliffside curves near Ouray is known as the Million Dollar Highway, one of the most scenic and storied drives in the American West. The name has several origin stories, from the value of the ore in the roadbed fill to the cost of building it, and either way it fits a route that feels priceless.

The road follows a corridor first opened by miners and toll-road builders in the late 1800s, when Silverton and its neighbors were booming silver and gold camps deep in the mountains. Today it is a paved highway, but it keeps its wild character, with steep grades, tight turns, and no shortage of jaw-dropping overlooks, of which Molas Pass is among the finest.

The San Juans are among the most rugged ranges in the Rockies, born of ancient volcanic activity that left behind a jumble of steep peaks, deep valleys, and colorful mineralized rock. Many of the summits around the pass rise above 13,000 feet, and the range holds vast wilderness, including the Weminuche, the largest in Colorado, spreading east from the highway.

This is high, wild country. The tree line is low, so much of the terrain around the overlook is open alpine tundra and meadow, and the weather can shift from sun to snow in a single afternoon even in summer. It is a landscape that rewards patience and respect, and few pullouts in Colorado deliver so much scenery for so little effort.

The overlook is a gateway to some wonderful high-country walking. The Colorado Trail, the long-distance route that runs nearly five hundred miles between Denver and Durango, crosses near here, and even a short out-and-back on it delivers big alpine views. Nearby Molas Lake and Little Molas Lake sit in meadow basins that fill with wildflowers in July.

From the pass you can gaze east toward the Grenadier and Needle Mountains, some of the most dramatic and hard-to-reach peaks in Colorado, many of them accessible only on foot or by the historic narrow-gauge train that runs the Animas River gorge below. Even without a long hike, a short wander from the pullout puts you in genuine alpine terrain.

The high meadows and forests around Molas Pass are home to elk, mule deer, and marmots that whistle from the rocks, and if you are lucky you might spot mountain goats or bighorn sheep on the higher slopes. Hawks and eagles ride the winds over the ridges, and the streams and lakes hold trout.

Summer is brief and glorious, with wildflowers carpeting the meadows and long days for hiking, though afternoon thunderstorms build almost daily. Fall lights the aspens gold against the dark evergreens, one of the best leaf-peeping drives in the state. Winter buries the pass in deep snow and turns the corridor into backcountry ski country, with the road plowed but demanding.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.