9 | San Juan Skyway

Length: 236 miles. Driving time: 6 hours
Open All Year
Designated a National Scenic Byway

Travel the “road to the sky” which offers views of the towering 14,000-foot San Juan Mountains to rolling hillsides speckled with ancient Indian pueblo ruins. Victorian towns offer both excitement and relaxation. Soak in hot springs, ride the narrow-gauge railroad, and sleep under the stars or in a cozy lodge.

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.

Features include:

• Main towns: Durango,  Silverton, Ouray, Telluride
• San Juan National Forest
• Ouray is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
• Four wilderness areas
• 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
• Mancos Valley Visitor Center and Museum
• Ouray County Historical Society Museum
• Animas River, Dolores River, Uncompahgre River, San Juan River, Molas Lake
  Ridgeway State Reservoir, Silver Jack Reservoir, Vallecito Reservoir, Lemon Reservoir
• Trimble Hot Springs, Ouray Hot Springs Pool, Orvis Hot Springs
• The stretch of San Juan Skyway between Silverton and Ouray is known as “The Million Dollar Highway”

Wildlife: Muskrat, Otter, Deer, Elk, Eagle