The San Juan Highway 550

...the San Juan Skyway Loop

A T-shirt's in order: "I drove the Million Dollar Highway!!" Yikes. And I did it twice.

The pictures on this page were taken on the Highway 550 which is the east-side portion of the San Juan Skyway Loop. A smaller portion of it, roughly between Silverton and Ouray, is called the Million Dollar Highway. There are several legends as to how it got the nickname, and no one seems to know for sure..

Most of the 550 is an easy, fun drive. It's very scenic, and, in my opinion, more rugged than the Highway 145 part of the loop. More mountains are in view. Any many of them snow-capped. There are also a couple of passes to go over.

The hard part is the last five or so miles before descending into Ouray from the south side. The road becomes narrow, winding and with no guard rails as you go through the area of the Uncompahgre Gorge. Ironically, that's the most scenic part as well. There is, however, a large lookout section where drivers can pull over and take in the view of the gorge and the waterfalls.

If you enjoy these pictures and want to see the rest of the skyway loop, check out the Highway 145 photos from Dolores to Telluride. A link is provided at the bottom of this page.

Also, there are separate pages of photos for the major towns along the route. Thanks for visiting.

from Durango to Ouray

I started the 550 in Durango and headed to Ouray, about 50 miles north. The road starts out with pretty green pastures and lakes before the terrain becomes more rugged.

One of many waterfalls along the route, probably unnamed.

Lake Haviland

Andrews Lake and Recreationi Area is a year-round popular spot for both skiers and boaters. It's about six miles south of Silverton.

Overlooking the small mining town of Silverton which becomes a hopping little hotspot when the Durango and Silverton Train rolls into town. These days it's tourist-oriented, cute in a honky kind of way.

Once you leave Silverton heading north, the terrain begins to change. You see a lot of such mountains as above, especially as you head over Red Mountain Pass. The iron in the mountains is quite evident in this area.

The Red Mountain Mining Project was one of the largest and richest in the world for about 10 years in the 1890s. A small observation area is located at the top of the pass for viewing the remains of the mining process and information boards on the history.

Runoff from the Red Mountains forms Red Mountain Creek.

There are a few of these spots along the 550 where there are turns and no guardrails. But this isn't the hard part...

...nor is this! The most scary is yet to come.

At Molas Pass

It's along here (photos above and left) in the Uncompahgre Gorge that the road becomes narrower and a little on the scary side. But it soon widens at a curve where a small pullover allows you to get out and snap pictures of the incredibly scenic gorge.

The Uncompahgre Gorge with Abrams Mountain in the background

A couple of waterfalls can be seen from the Uncompahgre Gorge Lookout. This one is across the highway and falls under the road. I believe it's Bear Creek Fall.

Above and Below: The Highway 550 as it leaves the Uncompahgre Gorge and descends into Ouray

If you'd like to continue viewing pictures of the San Juan Skyway, click any one of these links. A link on that page will lead you to others.

Highway 145 from Dolores to Telluride

Or, you may want to return to the Colorado home page

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