San Juan Skyway
Length: 236 miles
Driving time: 6 hours
If byways could claim royal lineage, this one would probably rule them all. Start with the major towns along the route - Durango, a well-preserved descendant of the Old West; picturesque Telluride, renowned for world-class skiing and film, jazz, and bluegrass festivals; and Silverton and Ouray, Victorian jewels tucked in deep alpine valleys. Add another crown - Mesa Verde National Park, home to one of the densest collections of prehistoric ruins in the U.S. - and five million acres of undisturbed national forest. Then there are the roads themselves, snaking through the woods in the shadow of impressive 14,000-foot peaks. The segment from Ouray to Silverton is called the "Million Dollar Highway." But you can't put a price tag on this experience.
The San Juan Skyway was designated by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation as an All-American Road, the highest level of designation, in 1996. It is one of eleven America's Byways® designated in Colorado.
Click here for the photo tour.
Features
Four Wilderness Areas
- Designated an All-American Road
- Ouray Hot Springs
- Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and Museum
- Animas Museum
- Galloping Goose Historical Society
- Ridgway Visitor Center and Railroad Museum
- San Juan County Historical Society Museum
- Telluride Historic Museum
- Ouray County Historical Society Museum
- Mancos State Park
- Ridgway State Park
- Mancos Creative District
- Ridgway Creative District
- Telluride Arts District
- Durango Fish Hatchery
Local Chamber(s) of Commerce
Byways Corridor Management Plan
- San Juan Skyway Corridor Management Plan
- San Juan Skyway Tourism Initiative (May 2000)
- A Framework for Wayshowing: San Juan Skyway (June 2013)
- San Juan Skyway Final Report (December 2014)
Special Considerations
- Be prepared for summertime afternoon thundershowers.
- Bring a camera.
- Inquire about road conditions in winter.
