Stop J – San Juan Skyway (Denver)

Let me clarify, we had no time to stop at Denver, we just had to reach there to catch our flight back. The real deal was San Juan Skyway – a scenic Colorado road traversing the heart of the San Juan Mountains. No wonder it's called the “Switzerland of US”!

We started at Cortez, then following State Highway 145 (SH 145) to Durango and further to Denver passing quaint towns of Ouray, Silverton amongst others. The highway is referred to as the Million Dollar Highway from Ouray to Durango. For the first 7.0 miles (11.3 km) south of Ouray the byway follows through the Uncompahgre Gorge.

We passed the only tunnel on the route, just south of Ouray, where the road crosses over Bear Creek Falls on a bridge at the location of an impassable toll booth on the original road. A single lane road, with an ever rising mountain and the possibility of falling rocks on one side and a steep 12,000 feet cliff edge on the other side! It is so narrow that only one way traffic was allowed to pass in a few minute intervals. A spine chilling experience for sure!

I lost count of all the places we stopped at to just look at the views. Coming from the heat of Arizona and Utah in May, and driving up to the perfectly snow clad towering mountains – seemed like we had entered another world. The route was full of skiers walking the paths, beautiful water streams and valley views along the way, some very steep drives and a great adventure overall. A highly recommended drive for all, but with a courageous heart, preferably a four wheel drive and great driving skills!

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. Designate a good amount of time for the entire trip, plan to stay at Ouray or Silverton to enjoy the scenic towns. We were almost at the end of the trip, so could manage just an overnight stay and then the flight from Denver back home.

Love
TipToes!