The Million Dollar Highway

Hey everybody!
Today I need some advise. My son and I are planning
a drive around the "San Juan Skyway" in southwest Colorado
next May.(Late May) I'm told the drive between Durango and
Ouray is ultra terrifying, especially Red Mountain Pass and
it's switchbacks. Is this true? Somebody mentioned that it is better to drive the Million Dollar Highay heading south
rather than north. Does it really matter? I've been through
Colorado before, including Cortez and Durango, but never on
US 550.

I recently drove the "Ortega Highway", SH 74, from San
Juan Capistrano to Lake Elsinore, CA. I was told it would be
scary and dangerous, but the only thing scary about that
drive was the locals who love to tailgate. How would US 550
compare to CA SH 74? Are there lots of places to turn out
and stop to catch your breath and let tailgaters pass?
Please help. Moderator Bob? Anybody?
Thank you,
Randy.

I may not be the one to answer this question as I could land an AIRPLANE on most of the mountain roads I have seen -- REALLY THOUGH -- I'm absolutely certain you have been on roads much skinnier, rougher and twistier than US550. It is a wide and smooth federally-maintained roadway, and as I recall it has adequate shoulders. It is definitely a high altitude road -- and it is definitely a curvy one -- but I would not in a million years define it as "terrifying" (well, maybe if I was in a truck with bad brakes). In my opinion, it's a DO NOT MISS. I have encountered snow storms on this road in the summer, but never to the point I had traction problems (and the snow only added to the thrill and the adventure). I'd drive it either direction without any concern. I don't know the road in CA you refer to, so I can't answer that question, but you have my opinion in general! Bob

This is an easy drive -- beautiful, but not scary in any way -- (unless you manage to hit it in February blizard with 20 feet visibility with sufficient ice to make it feel like ice-skating -- then it is sufficient to raise one's blood pressure.) For more info check out our stories about the region: <a href = "http://www.roadtripamerica.com/places/million.htm">Red Mountain Pass<a/> and the <a href = "http://www.roadtripamerica.com/places/durango.htm">Durango Train<a/>.

Thanks Bob,
I feel a little better about the trip. Next time
you're in SO-CAL, try the Ortega Highway. It's a nice, senic
ride, not spectacular, but a senic thrill none the less.
Thanks again, Randy.

If you're looking for scary, I can recommend many roads to try out. Cerro Noroeste road past Pine Mtn. Club, Breckenridge Road up to Lake isabella, G16 (Carmel Valley road) and Sonora and Sherman Pass. Those make Ortega look like the I-5 by comparison. But for a nice scenic drive, Ortega is nice, Angeles Crest, Rim of the World, and even Mullholland are all very nice drives.

Man, I've gotta get over there! These sound like MY kind of roads! :)

I know that highway well after working for the Forest Service in the Trabuco Ranger District some years ago. The danger comes from the many turns and blind corners where usually local motorcyclists like to race the mountain. Often times, this causes someone to leave the road, and as you could tell by the terrain, theres not much soft dirt to crash into.

The million dollar hway has been well maintained, however, and I dont believe its nearly as dangerous as ortega. One thing you should not miss on your trip is the train ride from Durango to Silverton. It goes along a canyon below the 1,000,000 hway, but is absolutely breathtaking. If you have a day to spare, try it!
Again, I would not worry too much about the roads being terrifying....just dont look down! HAVE FUN

THAT'S what they told me about skydiving!

Funny, but right above the ortega Highway was where my wife and I took our first date......Skydiving! Then she took me home to meet the parents..."Mom, Dad, this is Dave....he's 11 years older than me and we just went skydiving...." Yes, I was the proverbial parental nightmare

I guess scary is a relative term.

http://freespace.virgin.net/john.cletheroe/usa_can/driving/mountain.htm lists parts of the drive as being between 3 and 5 on a scale of 0 to 5. Yes, the road is well maintained. If you drive the speed limit and pay close attention, you won't have any problem. The first time I went through was in the summer. It was the kind of ride that demanded you pay attention to the driving. I was somewhat scared and fairly exhausted. I just finished the drive a week after a snowstorm. Most of the snow was gone and it was well sanded. Still, it scared the heck out of me.

I agree that in winter conditions, that road can cause a heightened blood pressure that is alittle alarming. I slid a bit too close to a 500-ft drop-off one February morning -- in the summer, it is just fun (but I have been driving steep, mountain roads for over 35 years, so I've lost any good sense I might have acquired along the way a long time ago!)

One thing you have to remember about John Cletheroe's judgment -- he is is from England and an avowed "flatlander". Anything over 4000 feet and I would think his blood pressure starts to rise.

But I totally agree -- it is a drive you have to give your full attention to...

Mark

I drove north on the Million Dollar Highway the first week of October, 2004 from Durango up to Ouray. We spent the night in Silverton, which is a really neat semi-ghost town, with lots of abandoned buildings from the mining days.

My sister, who was in the passenger seat at first, referred to it as "the acid stomach highway" and I didn't know what she meant until I took the passenger seat while she drove, and found out that everything looks different from the passenger seat (also when driving north, the passenger side is closer to the high cliffs that do not have guard rails.)

Between Silverton and Ouray, look for various ghost towns. Chattanooga is on the left hand side north of Silverton, and is easy to access. A little ways further on the right hand side, you will see a building that says Larsen Brothers Mine, and you can see one of the old mines and take a short hike to the other. Directly across the road is a ghost town which most likely is associated with the mines.

There are other ghost towns (go to www.ghosttowns.com and click on Colorado and find Ouray County, but we didn't have time to search for them.

Anyways, the autumn scenery was beautiful and I highly recommend taking this drive early in October. Personally, I didn't find it all that frightening, but I do recommend careful driving, and maybe going a little bit slower than usual.

My partner and RTA co-founder refers to this as "Driving on the Cliffside." She doesn't seem to really enjoy those times when she is on the edge of some radical drop-offs and I am trying to see what is over the edge from my middle-of-the-road viewpoint.

Mark

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Originally Posted by Randy

Hey everybody!
Today I need some advise. My son and I are planning
a drive around the "San Juan Skyway" in southwest Colorado
next May.(Late May) I'm told the drive between Durango and
Ouray is ultra terrifying, especially Red Mountain Pass and
it's switchbacks. Is this true? Somebody mentioned that it is better to drive the Million Dollar Highay heading south
rather than north. Does it really matter? I've been through
Colorado before, including Cortez and Durango, but never on
US 550.

I recently drove the "Ortega Highway", SH 74, from San
Juan Capistrano to Lake Elsinore, CA. I was told it would be
scary and dangerous, but the only thing scary about that
drive was the locals who love to tailgate. How would US 550
compare to CA SH 74? Are there lots of places to turn out
and stop to catch your breath and let tailgaters pass?
Please help. Moderator Bob? Anybody?
Thank you,
Randy.

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I just recently heard about this road. I'm planning a trip on a motorcycle sometime maybe next year. I never thought about snow in the summer. how often does this occur. snow on a bike is quite a bit different than snow in a car. I see where some are saying this road is rather tame. I have a friend who rides but is afraid on cliffs and or drop offs. does this rode indeed contain these sort of features?