Check conditions before you go
Open all year, but avalanches, rockslides, and floods close it several times a year.
COtrip.org
The state's official road map, with closures, chain and traction law alerts, and any working road cameras. There's also a COtrip Planner app.
Open COtrip →By phoneCall 511
The state's road conditions line, from any phone in Colorado.
About 511 →Town camerasOuray web cams
The City of Ouray's cameras at the Visitor Center and on Main Street, looking north and south. Good for checking the weather in town.
See the cameras →The drive
- Ouray to Silverton. The state's transportation department uses the name for the stretch of US 550 between the two towns. Some people stretch it all the way to Durango. (source)
- One big climb. The road tops out at Red Mountain Pass, 11,018 feet, between Ouray and Silverton. (source)
- Part of a longer loop. It's one piece of the San Juan Skyway, a 236-mile scenic byway loop that's been an All-American Road since 1996. (source)
- Expect delays near Ouray. A wall and tunnel repair project between Ouray and Ironton has run single-lane traffic with signals, with 15 to 20 minute waits. Check COtrip for the current status. (source)
Why is it called the Million Dollar Highway?
No one knows for sure. Colorado's transportation department gives three explanations, and any of them could be true:
Is it dangerous?
It's a well-kept highway, but it's unforgiving.
- Cliffs and no guardrails. Long stretches are cut into steep mountainsides, with narrow lanes and no guardrails. (source)
- Avalanche paths. The state counts about 70 avalanche chutes above the road between Ouray and Silverton. Crews close the road to bring slides down on purpose. (source)
- The Riverside Slide. Avalanches at the East Riverside slide path killed people on the road in 1963, 1970, 1978, and 1992. A snowshed now covers the road there, and the state has worked with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center since 1992. (source)
- Winter tire rules. When the Traction Law is on, you need winter, mud-and-snow, or all-weather tires with at least 3/16-inch tread, or chains or another traction device. The Chain Law is the last step before the road closes. (source)
Where to stop
Pullouts are small. Use them, and never stop in a travel lane.
Bear Creek Falls overlook
A roadside overlook at Bear Creek, by the Bear Creek tunnel, about 3 miles south of Ouray.
Red Mountain Town and the Yankee Girl
What's left of a mining boomtown, and the weathered Yankee Girl headframe, near the summit. A roadside exhibit sits just north of the top.
Read the story →LandmarkIdarado's Treasury Tunnel
A tall timber trestle and tunnel portal on the Red Mountain side, from a mine that ran until 1978.
Read the story →11,018 ftRed Mountain Pass summit
Winter weather, avalanche history, and the old mining district at the top of the drive.
Red Mountain Pass guide →Side-by-sides and ATVs
- Not on the highway itself. Colorado law makes it illegal to drive an off-highway vehicle on a state highway like US 550, except to cross it or use a bridge or culvert. Local governments can open some roads to them, but not state highways. (source)
- Plan to trailer between trailheads. Black Bear Pass, Ophir Pass, and Corkscrew Gulch all start off US 550. If your rig is plated and street-legal, ask the Ouray County Sheriff what applies before you count on driving it on the highway.
A short history
Off-road trails along the way
Black Bear Pass
Starts near the Red Mountain Pass summit and drops one way into Telluride.
Trail status and map →Easy to moderateOphir Pass
Leaves US 550 north of Silverton and crosses to the town of Ophir.
Trail status and map →ModerateCorkscrew Gulch
Tight switchbacks over red, iron-stained peaks to the Red Mountain area, just off US 550.
Trail status and map →