San Juan Skyway
US-550, Silverton, CO
Silverton, CO
A soaring loop through the most rugged mountains in Colorado, past mining towns, alpine passes, and the cliff-hanging Million Dollar Highway.
The San Juan Skyway is one of the great drives in America, a loop of roughly two hundred miles through the rugged San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado. It strings together the historic towns of Durango, Silverton, Ouray, and Telluride, climbing over high passes and past old mines, waterfalls, and forests of aspen and spruce.
The most famous and hair-raising stretch is the Million Dollar Highway between Silverton and Ouray, where the road clings to sheer canyon walls without guardrails, high above the valley floor. Whether taken as a full loop or in pieces, the skyway offers an unforgettable tour through Colorado's wildest and most beautiful high country.
What Guests Love
- The cliff-hugging Million Dollar Highway between Silverton and Ouray
- Historic mining towns like Silverton, Ouray, and Telluride along the way
- High alpine passes with sweeping mountain views
- Brilliant autumn aspen color across the whole loop
Worth Knowing
- The Million Dollar Highway is steep, narrow, and lacks guardrails in places, so drive it slowly and carefully
- High passes can see snow and closures in the colder months, so check road conditions
- Fill up on fuel in the towns, as stretches between them are long and remote
- Fall color usually peaks in late September, drawing crowds to the byway
Details
Silverton, CO
Learn about San Juan Skyway
The Million Dollar Highway
The signature section of the skyway is the Million Dollar Highway, the stretch of U.S. 550 between Silverton and Ouray. Here the road climbs over high passes and hugs cliff faces above deep gorges, often with steep drop-offs and no guardrails, a drive that thrills and unnerves in equal measure.
The name is said to come variously from the cost of building the road, the value of ore in its roadbed, or simply the million-dollar views. Whatever the source, the route rewards careful, unhurried driving with some of the most spectacular mountain scenery on any American highway.
Historic mining towns
The skyway links a string of towns born in the silver and gold rushes of the late nineteenth century. Silverton sits high in a mountain valley, its main street still lined with false-front buildings; Ouray, called the Switzerland of America, is ringed by cliffs and waterfalls; and Telluride combines Victorian mining heritage with world-class skiing and festivals.
Durango, at the loop's southern end, is the largest town and the terminus of the famous narrow-gauge railroad to Silverton. Each town offers lodging, dining, and history, making them natural stops to break up the drive and soak in the mining-era character of the region.
High country and the seasons
The route crosses several high mountain passes, including Coal Bank, Molas, and Red Mountain, each offering wide views of jagged peaks, alpine basins, and forests. Waterfalls, old mine structures, and trailheads line the way, inviting stops and short walks.
Autumn is the crown of the skyway, when the aspens turn the mountainsides gold and crowds come for the color, usually peaking in late September. Summer brings wildflowers and cool high air, while winter transforms the passes into a snowy world where careful driving and current road reports are essential.
The Ute homeland and mining history
The San Juans are the ancestral homeland of the Ute people, particularly the bands whose descendants form the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute nations of southwest Colorado today. This was their mountain country long before the miners arrived, and their connection to it endures.
The mining boom of the late 1800s left the towns, railroads, and countless mine sites that give the region its character, along with a complicated legacy of wealth, hardship, and lasting change to the land and its first peoples. Driving the skyway, travelers pass through all these layers of history at once.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Silverton
Silverton
On the loop
A high mountain mining town and the northern terminus of the Durango and Silverton railroad.
Ouray
On the loop
A dramatic town ringed by cliffs and waterfalls, called the Switzerland of America.
Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
At Durango and Silverton
A historic steam railroad running through the Animas River canyon between the two towns.