At 3,358 metres, Red Mountain Pass is the high point of the Million Dollar Highway, the stretch of US 550 between Silverton and Ouray in the San Juan Mountains of south-western Colorado, and it is one of the most famous and frightening roads in America. The label says Telluride, which lies just over the ridge to the west, but you can only get there from here on a rough jeep track over Ophir Pass; the paved road runs north and south.
The mountains around the pass are stained red, orange and yellow by iron and other minerals, which gave Red Mountain its name, and they are scarred by old mines. In the 1880s, silver was found here, and towns like Red Mountain Town and Ironton sprang up, with railways and thousands of miners. The ruins of mine buildings and headframes, like the Yankee Girl, still stand on the slopes, weathered and grey. The name of the highway is a puzzle: some say it cost a million dollars a mile to build, others that the fill used to build it contained a million dollars' worth of gold ore.
The riding is spectacular and demanding. North of the pass, the road drops into the Uncompahgre Gorge towards Ouray, with tight hairpins, sheer drops of hundreds of metres and, in many places, no guardrails. South, it descends to Silverton through forests and meadows, with more hairpins and views of the high peaks. The surface is generally good, but rockfall is common, and the road can be closed by snow and avalanches from autumn to spring. Afternoon thunderstorms in summer bring rain, hail and lightning, so ride early. Watch for cars and campervans driven by nervous tourists hugging the centre line.
Ouray, at the northern end, is a Victorian mining town in a narrow canyon, known as the Switzerland of America, with hot springs where you can soak tired muscles. Silverton, at the southern end, is a small, rough-edged mining town at over 2,800 metres, where a historic steam train arrives from Durango. Both have food and basic services.
Fuel is scarce. Silverton and Ouray have small stations, and Montrose, about sixty-six kilometres north, is the nearest town of any size. Fill up whenever you can, carry warm clothes even in summer, and take your time on the pass.