Between Ouray and Red Mountain Pass, the Million Dollar Highway does something that makes first-time riders slow right down: it clings to a cliff, with no guardrails in places, while a waterfall drops into the gorge beside it. Bear Creek Falls is that moment. The creek tumbles hundreds of feet from the heights above, passes beneath the road on a bridge, and then plunges into the canyon of the Uncompahgre River far below. A small pull-off lets you stop, though you should do it deliberately, because the traffic behind you will not.
The scenery is as dramatic as anything in Colorado. The San Juan Mountains here are young, steep, and cut by glaciers, and the walls of the canyon are layered rock in rust, grey, and cream. Ouray itself, a short ride north, sits in a deep bowl of peaks and is sometimes called the Switzerland of America, a title that feels more earned than most. Hot springs bubble up through the town, and an hour in one after a long day on the bike is a fine idea.
The ride here is the headline. US 550 south from Ouray is a narrow, winding mountain road, with tight bends, steep drops, and few places to recover from a mistake. The surface is generally good, but frost heaves, patches, and rockfall can appear. Weather changes quickly, and snow can arrive in any month at the top of Red Mountain Pass, which stands at a little over eleven thousand feet. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer, so an early start is wise, and winter riding is not advisable.
Fuel and food are in Ouray, three or four kilometres away, which is a good small town for both. Telluride lies on the far side of the mountains by a different route, and Silverton is the next town beyond the pass. Park only where it is safe and legal at the falls, and keep a wide margin for the bend that follows. The light on the gorge is best in the late morning, and the best months are late June through September, with the aspens turning in the last weeks of that window.