If you are looking for the most scenic drive through the mountains, you must drive the Million Dollar Highway and San Juan Skyway! We drove the loop from Ridgeway, to Ouray, Durango, Telluride, and back, all the way picking up our jaws from the ground as we took in magnificent views. On the way, we visited the exceptional Mesa Verde National Park. So, buckle up, this post is long, but only because I had to include a ton of photos. Enjoy!
Million Dollar Highway is the portion of San Juan Skyway scenic route between Ouray and Silverton (US-550). The road supposedly got its name from a frightened traveler claiming they would only travel this hairpin-studded road if given a million dollars, while other sources relate the name to how much it cost to build the road; I’m going with the million-dollar views…
Traveling south, we went through several high altitude passes, each with their own flavor of WOW: Red Mountain Pass (11,018-foot summit), Molas Pass (10,970 ft, a lovely pause along the way with lovely views and several hiking trails around lily ponds), Coal Bank Pass (10,610 ft). Heading north on US-145 you will go through Lizard Head Pass before finding your way to Telluride.
At Red Mountain Pass, we stopped and waited for construction crews to do their thing. It was a good opportunity to jump out of the car and take some photos of the bridge and the dilapidated mines across the way.
Molas Pass was exceptionally beautiful. We walked around and stood up high taking in the panoramic views. I spied a little chipmunk scurrying among white and yellow field flowers just above a lily pond. To my right, a brown dog (and his humans) also admired the view.
In Durango, we walked around downtown and stopped for a quick bite at Hermosa Cafe, a quirky little place, filled with bold artwork and colorful posters advertising the latest music happenings. We chilled in the back room with a lovely cup of coffee, then hit the road again.
Our next stop was our main destination: Mesa Verde National Park.
The trip back to Ridgeway (on US-145) didn’t disappoint either. Every turn seemed to reveal another picture-perfect view.
We stopped in Telluride for dinner at Brown Dog Pizza and a quick inventory of the local shops. Although very beautiful, the town seemed a bit too touristy for me. Nonetheless, we enjoyed visiting.
We made a quick stop to admire the raging waters of Bear Creek Falls.
This was a long but AMAZING day trip—one I would do again in a heartbeat. I highly recommend you exploring this area thoroughly. See you on the trail!
