Colorado · Million Dollar Highway
A 229 km loop from Silverton high town
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Why this ride
Exposure, mining towns and a road that demands attention. Out of Silverton and back again: 229 km, roughly 4 h 25 in the saddle. It goes by way of Ridgway view and Ouray overnight. The climb of the day is Red Mountain Pass. It tops out at about 3,600 m. The passes are the reason to go.
Roadbook
- Silverton high town
food
Silverton sits at about 2,830 metres in the San Juan Mountains, and it looks like a town on the edge of the world. Mountains close in on every side, snow lingers on the peaks well into summer, and the main street is wide and dusty, lined with false-front buildings from the silver boom. It was founded in the 1870s as a mining camp, and the miners dug deep into the surrounding hills for silver and gold. The town is now a National Historic Landmark, and it still has the feel of the frontier, with a population of only a few hundred people.
A narrow-gauge steam railway runs into Silverton from Durango, and the coal-fired locomotives still pull passenger trains on the line that opened in 1882, to carry ore and supplies. When the train arrives, the whole town fills with visitors, and the whistle echoes off the mountains. Blair Street, once the town's notorious red-light district, has restored buildings that house cafés, shops and saloons, and a walk down it gives a sense of the roughness of the old days.
For riders, Silverton is the beginning or the end of one of the most celebrated roads in the American West. The Million Dollar Highway, US 550, runs north to Ouray over Red Mountain Pass at about 3,350 metres, a narrow road with sheer drops, no guardrails in places and tight switchbacks cut into the cliffs. It is a thrilling ride, but it demands full concentration, and it can be closed by snow or avalanche from late autumn to spring. Even in summer, storms can bring hail and slick roads. Take it slowly, stay in your lane, and use pull-outs to let faster traffic pass.
The altitude is a serious matter too. Air at this height is thin, so engines run slightly less strongly, and riders can feel headaches or breathlessness if they have come up quickly from sea level. Drink water, eat well and pace yourself. Fuel is available in Silverton, but supplies can be limited and prices are high, so fill up when you can. Telluride, to the west, is the other nearest town, though it is reached by a longer road.
Food in town ranges from diner breakfasts to green chile stews and burgers, and many places close early or shut for the off season. Check hours before you plan a meal, and leave before dark.
- Red Mountain Pass
pass · 3358 m
Red Mountain Pass crosses the San Juan Mountains at 11,018 feet, and the road over it, US 550 between Ouray and Silverton, is part of the stretch known as the Million Dollar Highway, one of the most famous and most frightening roads in the United States. The old mining district of Red Mountain lay to the south, and the rusty remains of mills and shafts can still be seen on the slopes, where the Yankee Girl and other mines once produced silver.
The road was built in the 1880s to serve the mines, and the origin of its nickname is disputed: some say it cost a million dollars a mile, others that the fill contains gold ore, and others that the views are worth a million dollars. Whichever, the road is spectacular, a ledge cut into the cliffs, with no guardrails in places and drops of hundreds of feet, and a series of tight hairpins. The towns at either end are beautiful: Ouray, in a narrow box canyon ringed by cliffs, is known as the Switzerland of America, with hot springs and Victorian buildings, and Silverton is a restored mining town at the end of the narrow-gauge railroad from Durango.
For a rider, the pass is a challenge and a joy. The surface is paved and generally good, but narrow, with sharp bends and blind corners, and the edges are unprotected, so concentration is essential. Traffic includes large trucks, RVs and tourists, and the weather can change in minutes, with sudden thunderstorms in summer afternoons and snow at any time of year. Ice and avalanches close the road in winter, and avalanche control may stop traffic for hours. Altitude affects both bike and rider, with a loss of power and shortness of breath.
The nearest stations are at Ouray, on the north side, and Silverton, on the south, so fill the tank and carry a warm layer. Both towns have cafés, restaurants and bakeries, and a cup of hot chocolate in Silverton is a fine reward.
Go early, before the clouds build, and take the descent slowly, using the engine to brake. The views of the red mountains, the snow patches and the deep valleys below are some of the finest in Colorado.
- Ridgway view
photo
Ridgway is a small town on the northern edge of the San Juan Mountains, and it sits in one of the most photogenic corners of Colorado. To the south, the peaks of the Sneffels Range rise in a jagged line, often snow-capped, and to the north the land opens to the plateau and the valley of the Uncompahgre River. The view from the road above town, with the mountains framed by cottonwoods and ranch fences, looks so much like a postcard that it has been used as a backdrop in films. The 1969 western True Grit was filmed in the surrounding country, and the red cliffs and aspen groves still look much as they did.
The town grew as a railway junction in the 1880s, where narrow-gauge trains carried ore from the mines of Ouray and Telluride. It is quiet now, with a main street of cafés, galleries and a few shops, and a reservoir nearby with a state park popular for boating. Ranches still graze cattle in the valley, and the air smells of sagebrush and woodsmoke.
For a rider, Ridgway is the gateway to the northern end of the Million Dollar Highway. From here, US 550 runs south to Ouray, a small town in a deep box canyon, often called the Switzerland of America, with hot springs and Victorian buildings at its feet. The approach is gentle at first, with open curves in a wide valley, then tightens as the canyon walls close in, and the road begins to climb. The views along this stretch, with waterfalls dropping from the cliffs and the peaks looming above, are among the best in the state.
The Dallas Divide road to the west climbs through aspen forest toward Telluride, and in late September the leaves turn a blazing yellow, drawing crowds of photographers. Weather in the mountains can change quickly, and afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer, so plan to be down from high roads by mid-afternoon. Snow can arrive as early as September.
Fuel is available in Ridgway and in larger Montrose, about thirty-eight kilometres to the north, and prices are lower in Montrose. Ouray has fuel too, but it is smaller and more expensive. Stop at a viewpoint for a few minutes and look south. The mountains here have a way of making a rider feel small.
- Ouray overnight
sleep
Ouray overnight, late in the day.
- Back to Silverton
finish
Silverton is a mining town that never quite stopped, and the proof is in the muddy streets. It sits at about 9,300 feet in a high basin in the San Juan Mountains, ringed by peaks of more than 13,000 feet, and the single paved main street, Greene Street, is lined with false-fronted wooden buildings from the 1880s, all in good repair. About six hundred people live here year-round, and in winter the town is cut off by snow and avalanches, while in summer it fills with visitors from the train and the road.
Its fortunes came from silver and gold. Prospectors arrived in the 1870s, and the miners worked claims in the surrounding mountains, shipping ore out by wagon and, after 1882, by the narrow-gauge railway from Durango. Blair Street, one block behind the main street, was once a row of saloons and brothels, and its history is part of the town's reputation. The county museum, in the old jail, tells the story, and old mines nearby, such as the Mayflower Mill, offer tours. Ghost towns like Animas Forks, high above Silverton at nearly 11,200 feet, can be reached by jeep road and show how brutally cold and isolated life was.
For riders, Silverton is the middle of the San Juan Skyway. The road south toward Durango climbs Molas Pass and drops down the Animas valley, while the road north, the Million Dollar Highway, climbs to Red Mountain Pass and then descends in tight turns to Ouray. Both are paved and generally in good shape, but the altitude affects engines and riders, and summer storms arrive fast and bring cold rain. Night temperatures fall to near freezing even in July. Keep an eye on the sky, and carry extra layers.
Silverton has a few fuel stations, along with simple cafés and pubs, and a small selection of hotels and bed and breakfasts that fill up on busy weekends. At this altitude it is wise to drink plenty of water and take it easy on arrival. The summer light is brilliant, and the long evening shadows move slowly across the peaks, which is worth waiting for before you head down the road.