The San Juan Skyway Scenic and Historic Byway is a
All-American Road,
National Forest Scenic Byway, and
Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway
Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways are highway and backroad routes in the U.S. state of Colorado designated by the Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways Commission for their scenic and historic values. These byways follow existing roads or highwa ...
located in
Dolores Dolores, Spanish for "pain; grief", most commonly refers to:
* Our Lady of Sorrows or La Virgen María de los Dolores
* Dolores (given name)
Dolores may also refer to:
Film
* ''Dolores'' (2017 film), an American documentary by Peter Bratt
* ' ...
,
La Plata,
Montezuma,
San Juan, and
San Miguel counties,
Colorado, USA. The byway forms a loop in southwestern
Colorado traversing the heart of the
San Juan Mountains. The San Juan Skyway reaches its zenith at
Red Mountain Pass Red Mountain Pass may be one of the following:
Mountain passes
* Red Mountain Pass (Larimer County, Colorado) – a pass in Larimer County, Colorado, United States
*Red Mountain Pass (San Juan Mountains) – a pass between Ouray County and San Juan ...
at elevation .
Mesa Verde National Park was one of the original
UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The
Silverton Historic District and the
Telluride Historic District
The Telluride Historic District encompasses a significant portion of the developed area of the former mining boom town of Telluride, Colorado. Telluride was founded in 1878, and was a major metals mining center until 1913. The historic distric ...
are
National Historic Landmarks.
It roughly parallels the routes of the narrow gauge railways:
Rio Grande Southern (US 160, SH 145 and SH 62); and the unconnected Ouray and Silverton Branches of the
Denver & Rio Grande along US 550 with the
Silverton Railroad bridging a part of the gap. Its origin can be traced to the Around the Circle Route promoted by the D&RG.
The San Juan Skyway overlaps with the
Trail of the Ancients Scenic and Historic Byway on
Colorado State Highway 145 between
U.S. Highway 160 and
Colorado State Highway 184
State Highway 184 (SH 184) is a long state highway in the southwestern corner of Colorado. SH 184's western terminus is at U.S. Route 491 (US 491) near Lewis, and the eastern terminus is at U.S. Route 160 Business (US 160 Bus.) in Mancos ...
. The San Juan Skyway connects with the
Tracks Across Borders Scenic and Historic Byway at Durango, the
Alpine Loop Back Country Byway
The Alpine Loop Back Country Byway is a rugged Back Country Byway and Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway located in the high San Juan Mountains of Hindale, Ouray, and San Juan counties, Colorado, USA. The byway connects the mountain town ...
at Silverton and Ouray, and the
Unaweep Tabeguache Scenic Byway at
Placerville.
Route description
U.S. Highway 160
Starting in
Durango, Colorado
Durango is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of La Plata County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 19,071 at the 2020 United States Census. Durango is the home of Fort Lewis Coll ...
, the largest city on San Juan Skyway, the byway follows
U.S. Highway 160 (US 160) west through the town of
Mancos to
Cortez passing the entrance to
Mesa Verde National Park.
State Highway 145
The byway turns north at Cortez, following
State Highway 145 (SH 145) through the town of
Dolores Dolores, Spanish for "pain; grief", most commonly refers to:
* Our Lady of Sorrows or La Virgen María de los Dolores
* Dolores (given name)
Dolores may also refer to:
Film
* ''Dolores'' (2017 film), an American documentary by Peter Bratt
* ' ...
and the
Dolores River into the
San Juan National Forest. The byway passes through
Rico,
county seat of
Dolores County prior to 1941. The old Courthouse still remains. From Rico the byway crosses 10,222 ft (3116 m)
Lizard Head Pass
Lizard Head Pass, elevation , is a mountain pass in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, on the border between Dolores and San Miguel counties.
It is also on the divide between the watersheds of the Dolores River
The Dolores River is a trib ...
and enters the
Uncompahgre National Forest. Lizard Head Pass provides views of the
El Diente Peak
El Diente Peak is a high summit in the San Miguel Mountains range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The peak is located in the Lizard Head Wilderness of San Juan National Forest, north by east ( bearing 8°) of the Town of Rico in D ...
, the
Mount Wilson, the
Wilson Peak
Wilson Peak is a mountain peak in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Lizard Head Wilderness of the Uncompahgre National Forest, in the northwestern San Juan Mountains. It is the highest point in San Miguel County.
The mountain ...
and the pass's namesake, the
Lizard Head Peak. The byway descends near the town of
Ophir past the location of the
Ophir Loop of the
Rio Grande Southern Railroad. A spur road heads off to the
mining town turned
ski resort of
Telluride. The byway follows the
San Miguel River to the town of
Placerville.
State Highway 62
The byway turns east at Placerville onto
SH 62 and follows it over
Dallas Divide
Dallas Divide (el. ) is a high mountain pass in the United States state of Colorado located on State Highway 62 about west of the town of Ridgway.
The pass is a saddle between the San Juan Mountains to the south and the Uncompahgre Plateau t ...
. There are many excellent views of the
San Juan Mountains, especially of the mountains around the
Mount Sneffels. From the top of the divide the byway descends into the town of
Ridgway. The entire route of the byway from Durango to Ridgway roughly follows the route of the
Rio Grande Southern Railroad.
U.S. Highway 550
From Ridgway, the byway turns south onto
US 550 following the
Uncompahgre River into the
Victorian
Victorian or Victorians may refer to:
19th century
* Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign
** Victorian architecture
** Victorian house
** Victorian decorative arts
** Victorian fashion
** Victorian literature ...
mining town of
Ouray. The highway is referred to as the
Million Dollar Highway from Ouray south back to Durango. For the first south of Ouray the byway follows through the
Uncompahgre Gorge. Just past the only
tunnel on the route, just south of Ouray, the road crosses over
Bear Creek Falls on a bridge at the location of an impassable toll booth on the original road. The
Alpine Loop National Back Country Byway
The Alpine Loop Back Country Byway is a rugged Back Country Byway and Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway located in the high San Juan Mountains of Hindale, Ouray, and San Juan counties, Colorado, USA. The byway connects the mountain town ...
, a
four wheel drive jeep road, takes off in the gorge south of Bear Creek Falls. Before leaving the gorge the byway passes through a
snow shed under the
Riverside Slide avalanche zone. A monument stands near here honoring those who have lost their lives in the avalanche, including several
snowplow operators. At this point the byway enters
Ironton Park Ironton is the name of several places in the United States:
*Ironton, Arkansas
*Ironton, Colorado
*Ironton, Indiana
* Ironton, Louisiana
*Ironton, Michigan
*Ironton, Minnesota
*Ironton, Missouri
* Ironton, Montana
* Ironton, New York
*Ironton, Ohio ...
, a nice flat valley in contrast to the gorge. The road ascends several switchbacks, or S-curves, past the
Idarado mining operation to the summit of
Red Mountain Pass Red Mountain Pass may be one of the following:
Mountain passes
* Red Mountain Pass (Larimer County, Colorado) – a pass in Larimer County, Colorado, United States
*Red Mountain Pass (San Juan Mountains) – a pass between Ouray County and San Juan ...
, providing views of
Red Mountain and several
ghost towns. Back into the
San Juan National Forest the highway descends through the Chattanooga Valley to
Silverton.
From Silverton the byway passes over the
Molas Pass and the
Coal Bank Pass, descending past the
ski resort of
Purgatory Resort
Purgatory Resort is a ski resort located in the San Juan Mountains of Southwest Colorado, 25 miles (42 km) north of the town of Durango.
Established in 1965, Purgatory offers 105 trails, including 5 terrain parks, over 1,500 skiable acres, ...
. From Hermosa, the road parallels the
Durango and Silverton narrow gauge railroad before returning to Durango.
History
The San Juan Skyway was designated as a National Forest Scenic Byway in September 1988. It was later named a Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway in 1989 and an All-American Road in September 1996.
Gallery
File:Silverton Stage.JPG, A stagecoach
A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...
in Silverton
File:Ouray, Colorado.JPG, Ouray
See also
*
History Colorado
*
List of scenic byways in Colorado
*
Scenic byways in the United States
Notes
References
External links
America's BywaysColorado Department of TransportationColorado Scenic & Historic Byways Commission*
Colorado Scenic & Historic BywaysColorado Travel MapColorado Tourism OfficeHistory ColoradoNational Forest Scenic Byways
{{coord, 37.8989, -107.7119, dim:100000_region:US-CO_type:pass, name=Red Mountain Pass, display=title
Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways
All-American Roads
All-American Roads in Colorado
National Forest Scenic Byways
National Forest Scenic Byways in Colorado
San Juan National Forest
Mesa Verde National Park
Transportation in Dolores County, Colorado
Transportation in La Plata County, Colorado
Transportation in Montezuma County, Colorado
Transportation in San Juan County, Colorado
Transportation in San Miguel County, Colorado
Tourist attractions in Colorado
Tourist attractions in Dolores County, Colorado
Tourist attractions in La Plata County, Colorado
Tourist attractions in Montezuma County, Colorado
Tourist attractions in San Juan County, Colorado
Tourist attractions in San Miguel County, Colorado
U.S. Route 160
U.S. Route 550