These cookies do not store any personal information. He wanted to hop out to orient himself, but he feared he might step off the edge of the Million Dollar Highway and into the Uncompahgre River roaring hundreds of feet below. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. You can only imagine what type of damage could come of this and the type of injury. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But that doesn't mean you should attempt this road (which was cut from the side of a mountain) in an RV. Here are our tips for driving the road. Temps were freezing and they were unable to extricate themselves. As the locals say, though, you'd have to "pay me a million dollars" to drive that stretch in the snow. It's a harrowing and downright dangerous drive marked with narrow lanes (often shared by RVs), steep cliffs, sheer dropoffs and zero guardrails.The road is fine as long as you don’t drive too fast for conditions. The stretch between Silverton and Ouray, the part everyone goes on about, is only 25 miles in length but takes about 42 minutes. The origin of the name Million Dollar Highway is disputed. Chains may be required to drive. The road climbs up to 3 very high mountain passes. These are usually the result of careless driving. Forget standard driving safety measures like guardrails and shoulders, there aren't any on this stretch, so swerving off the road is not advised! It’s not for the sissies and shouldn’t be attempted by novice drivers. Originally hand-carved by Russian immigrant Otto Mears in the 1880s, to transport ore from Silverton to the railroad in Ouray, the modern highway remains open through the slip-and-slide snowy months. The views are spectacular, there are some fun stops along the way, and when you have to spend some time traveling from one destination to another, it makes it so much more enjoyable. The origin of the name Million Dollar Highway is disputed. The Million Dollar Highway is the portion of U.S. Highway 550 in Colorado, from Ouray to Silverton. Trying to use the pedal caused the tires to break loose too much. Worse still, there are no guardrails to help prevent a long fall to the bottom. A highway built in the late 1880s, Million Dollar Highway is part of the San Juan Skyway. More and more people are flocking to it to take in the incredible views, but we all need to appreciate and respect the road’s hairpin turns, drop-offs and weather-related challenges. The Million Dollar Highway from Durango to Ouray gained another bit of notoriety this week, earning a spot on a USA TODAY list of the “World’s most dangerous roads.” The pass is known for being treacherous in the wintertime due to the steep 8% grade and switchbacks, many sections of road is winding, narrow and has no shoulder/guardrails, with dropoffs exceeding 1,000 feet in places. The road is kept open year-round. First, a car went off the road killing the driver who was the sole occupant. The 25-mile stretch has many sharp curves through the … One passenger was not wearing a seatbelt and was seriously injured. It’s short enough that it can be driven twice so that everyone can enjoy the crazy views and dropoffs. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. First, a certain segment is cut directly into the mountain threatening to throw you into a ravine at the hint of an over-steer. The weather can be harsh and unpredictable in this area. There are a number of turns around mountains that you'll take at 10 mph. Part of the San Juan Skyway, this highway was built in the late 1880's, and it is one of the most spectacular drives in the USA.The Million Dollar Highway section connects Ouray and Silverton and is lined with many small adventure towns and ghost mining … According to both Dangerous Roads and USA Today, U.S. Route 550, which more commonly known as the Million Dollar Highway (because you’d have to pay the locals $1M to drive it during or after a snowstorm) is extremely dangerous, even claiming numerous lives and vehicles due to its steep, unprotected cliffs. Don’t take an unreliable car or truck and make sure that you have your brakes, tires and everything else checked first. There’s a reason for it. Periodically flooded roads around the world, Privacy Policy | Advertise page | Terms and conditions of use | Cookie Policy | About us | Contact. Believe it or not, the safest method was to use cruise control and let the machine do the work. This busy … We’re talking “take ‘em at ten miles per hour hairpin turns” turns! Large RVs travel in both directions often. Avalanches, heavy snowfalls and landslides can occur anytime and can sometimes block some sections of the road, being extremely dangerous due to frequent patches of ice. The Million Dollar Highway is a popular drive added to “must drive” lists for a reason: its grandeur is something to behold. We want your experiences too! This is because the road has some serious turns. There are sheer drops virtually along the entire route and enough hairpins to make a whirling dervish dizzy. Experienced drivers who can make quick decisions and handle precarious situations should be behind the wheel. A car with two people went off the cliff, landing upside down. Coal Bank Pass (10,640 ft /3,240 m); Molas Pass (10,970 ft /3,340 m) and Red Mountain Pass (11,018 ft /3,358 m). It boasts North America's highest avalanche hazard (per mile). The automotive blog RoadCrazed and the DangerousRoads.org Rank the Million Dollar Highway as the most dangerous road worldwide. This classic stretch of two-lane blacktop snakes its way through the San Juan Mountains, the wildest and most rugged peaks in the Rockies. This 25-mile stretch of the highway has many twists and turns through the mountains, ascending to an elevation of up to 11,000 feet. The Million Dollar Highway. Colorado Route 550 is known as the Million Dollar Highway. It is also one of the most dangerous sections during the winter, because of its steep grade and lack of guardrails. The origin of the name Million Dollar Highway is disputed. With Eric Worden. Driving south you'll be on the "outside" with no guardrails. The road is gorgeous and holds incredible wonders. It is traversed by the Million Dollar Highway (aka U.S. Highway 550) between Ouray and Silverton. It's one of the most scenic drives in the USA. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. In the state of Colorado of the United States of America there’s a special highway built in the late 1880's: the Million Dollar Highway, part of the San Juan Skyway. You'll want to watch the road.) There are several legends, though, including that it cost a million dollars a mile to build in the 1920s, and that its fill dirt contains a million dollars in gold ore. The Million Dollar Highway Located in southwest Colorado, the Million Dollar Highway is regularly featured on lists of the most dangerous roads in the world. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Safe Driving Tips for the Million Dollar Highway. Understandably so. How scary is the Million Dollar Highway to some flatlander drivers? The original route was widened in the 1930's but was still dangerous and narrow. The driver should remain focused on the drive, not the scenery. Drive with care as this is a mountain road with hairpin curves and dangerous dropoffs. Summer temperatures can range from 70–90 °F highs at the ends of the highway to 50–70 °F in the mountain passes. Only on SPEED. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. So, use caution and enjoy the magnificent scenery. The road climbs up to 3 very high mountain passes. Take a ride with us today to learn more about this incredible, and sometimes insane, route. Between Durango and Silverton the Skyway loosely parallels the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is considered an engineering feat even today, and its construction was like an engineering miracle. Then a non-fatal accident occurred. Little Saint-Bernard Pass, a must for road lovers, Kakadu Highway, a 5 stars road in the Northern Territory, Travel guide to the top of Brian Head Peak, The road to Gola Pljesevica: hazardous area due to possible mine fields, The road to Upper Pomeroy Lake is not for the faint of heart. The Million Dollar Highway earned its name back in the 1880s because it cost a million dollars to build. The snow season starts in October, and snow will often close the road in winter. As contracts for the work were reviewed someone commented that the work would add up to about a million dollars. Do you know any spectacular road?Click here to send us all the info, and we'll publish it! Share YOUR roads!We've more than 13.000 roads but we want more! While the highway is open year-long except during the most serious of storms, weather conditions in the mountains change rapidly. You'll want to watch the road). Snow as heavy as cement caked the windshield, the side windows, even over the hood. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The winding US highway 550 is also known as The Million Dollar Highway, running all the way from New Mexico to Colorado. He dug this route to transport ore from Silverton to Ouray where it could be moved by train. You'll be on the "outside" for a while with a hell of a view to your right (let the passenger look. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Spanning Montrose, Colorado to Bernalillo, New Mexico is the seemingly ordinary U.S. Route 550, which is home to one of the most dangerous drives … It was cut from the side of the mountain and became know as the ", stretches for about 25 miles (40 km) in western, and follows the route of U.S. 550 between Silverton and, and Silverton the Skyway loosely parallels the. The road was incredibly engineered by Otto Mears, indomitable road builder and railroad builder of the early west, and was first operated as a toll road. Drivers should never look at their phones while driving but especially not on a road like this one where taking your eyes off the road for even a portion of a second could have deadly consequences. It’s definitely worth putting on your list, just be smart about it! An "overpass" for an active avalanche chute on the Million Dollar Highway, south of Ouray. Newer drivers haven’t had to deal with as much: from other drivers to wildlife to those hairpin turns. The snow season, the most dangerous time to drive the Million Dollar Highway, starts in October. From Durango, through Silverton and Ouray, to Ridgway, the highway delivers jaw-dropping vista after vista. Why aren’t there guardrails? Cut the distractions. If the elevation gain of 4,100′ to a summit of 11,018′ wasn’t enough, the road’s construction brings this bad boy to another level. Every day is a winding road: Red Mountain Pass With 15 switchbacks between Silverton and Ouray, the Million Dollar Highway changes directions more often than a … The Million Dollar Highway is billed as one of our nation’s most spectacular, yet dangerous drives. The Million Dollar Highway stretches about 25 miles through Colorado and is formally known as U.S. 550 but got its name from the original 12 miles that were hand-carved by Otto Mears in the latter half of the 19th century. Red Mountain Pass is a notoriously dangerous stretch of road between Ouray and Silverton that winds up and down steep grades with a massive drop-off on one side. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We talked with a personal injury lawyer who explained to us that sometimes if the road conditions are bad enough, accidents like this end up with a law suit against the city or the state. In December of 2018, there were back-to-back accidents with cars going off one of the steep, unguarded cliffs. Colorado’s “Million Dollar Highway” is a 25 mile stretch of U.S. 500 that is consistently rated as one of the most scenic drives in the country. Million Dollar Highway: dangerous drive - See 699 traveler reviews, 628 candid photos, and great deals for Silverton, CO, at Tripadvisor. But if you do, the consequences are severe. There are several legends, though, including that it cost a million dollars a mile to build it, and that its fill dirt contains a million dollars in gold ore. First time you drive it, it's a real breath taker. Drivers must concentrate and keep an eye out in order to avoid mishaps, none of which are likely to be minor. Hopefully everyone driving this road will be safe in the future. It's often called one of the nation's most spectacular drives, providing many jaw-dropping vistas. While not all accidents on the Highway result in deaths, drops off the side are particularly dangerous. Accidents are caused by several factors in addition to driver error. Million Dollar Highway drivers often arrive breathless at their Ouray or Silverton hotels, marveling that a road with scant shoulders and dangerous exposure contains “no guardrails.” But it does have some guardrails, Shanks notes, “in areas where we have room for them, so long as the road can maintain an adequate lane width.” In addition, the two passengers had to wait hours for help. Take our word for it: this drive is not for new or nervous drivers and should certainly be avoided during rain, snow and ice. Forget standard driving safety measures like guardrails and shoulders, there aren't any on this stretch, so swerving off the road is not advised! Make a good playlist but silence the notifications on your phone. Coming out of Silverton north there are several switchbacks. Despite being called a highway, though, it takes 42 minutes to drive. Today it is surely one of the most breath-taking, historic and amazing roads in the country.If you want to give the Million Dollar Highway a drive without exposing yourself to any of the risks, you could try using some GTA5 mods to recreate this famous road and drive it in all kinds of different vehicles. The Million Dollar Highway stretches for about 25 miles (40 km) in western Colorado and follows the route of U.S. 550 between Silverton and Ouray. Scenic drives are such a treat. Interestingly, many of these occur in dry conditions and only involve one vehicle. The snow season, the most dangerous time to drive the Million Dollar Highway, starts in October. It got its name because it cost a million dollars to build it all the way back in the 1880s. This portion of US-550 in Colorado stretches from Ouray to Silverton. Slow down, slow down, slow down. Unfortunately, there’s nowhere to swerve. Lots of myths surround the nickname of the highway, but its genesis is most likely from a comment made at a planning meeting in 1921. It's one of the nation’s most spectacular drives. The Million Dollar Highway (Colorado): While it makes for a pretty picture, the Million Dollar Highway treats drivers to a twisting road that weaves along three 10,000-foot mountain passes. In fact, dangerousroads.org states , “Forget standard driving safety measures like guardrails and shoulders, there aren’t any on this stretch, so … The so-called Million Dollar Highway is actually a small, 12-mile stretch of US 550 (a road worthy of many road trips in its own right). Under the dark night sky, everything went white, he said. The area gets significant amounts of snowfall and because the roads are so narrow, plows must push the snow off the cliffs to keep the road open. Speaking of which…. There are several legends, though, including that it cost a million dollars a mile to build it, and that its fill dirt contains a million dollars in gold ore. First time you drive it, it's a real breath taker. The route demands 100% concentration. Check the weather. Eyes on the road. , through Silverton and Ouray, to Ridgway, the highway delivers jaw-dropping vista after vista. The highway runs 25 miles from Silverton to Ouray Colorado. It is a famous spectacular place with marvelous scenic beauty, risky turns, and snow pits. Yes, the speed limit is often 15 mph. Mudslides can also occur. It was cut from the side of the mountain and became know as the "Million Dollar Highway". Another issue is wildlife. The US has many scenic drives, and of these the Million Dollar Highway or Highway to Hell is one of the most famous. The slow corners had to be driven manually, but most of the drive was on cruise, about 33 mph average…, Your email address will not be published. One of the biggest risks is not slowing down enough going into the guardrail-less turns. Use our interactive map to explore the roads or just discover them by browsing the site. Get your vehicle checked first. If you are measuring how dangerous a road is by the number of fatal accidents ​ that happened on it the Million Dollar Highway is the winner, with no contest. Dangers of the road present themselves in a few ways. The drive is very scary on rainy days and storms cause some unnerving waterfalls along the highway. The countryside is decked in wildflowers during the spring, and sustains elk, mountain goats, black bears, and deer. Front Range Corridor. Enough that, on several occasions, there are drivers "frozen" in the middle of the road--unable to drive another foot. Ride with a motorcycle club on the treacherous US 550 in Colorado. Your email address will not be published. While no longer an issue since activating a system to warn about them, avalanches used to be a culprit. The goal of the meeting was to rebuild the highway. It was uneventful, and quite safe. He kept referring to the road is “this million dollar highway” and voila! and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. While the highway is open year-long except during the most serious of storms, weather conditions in the mountains change rapidly. Van Life Wanderer | Contact | Privacy Policy |. There are large sections with sheer drop offs and no guardrails, narrow sections and hairpin turns. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. At dawn and dusk when animals are most mobile, surprised drivers may swerve to avoid hitting an animal. Lots of sweaty palms. It is part of the San Juan Skyway. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Visit http://www.findlegaladvice.org  for more information. It is beautiful!! This stretch through the gorge is challenging and potentially hazardous to drive; it is characterized by steep cliffs, narrow lanes, and a lack of guardrails; the ascent of Red Mountain Pass is marked with a number of hairpin "S" curves used to gain elevation, and again, narrow lanes for traffic—many cut directly into the sides of mountains. More than 300 accidents took place on the Million Dollar Highway between 1995 and 2010, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. “From Durango, through Silverton and Ouray, to Ridgway, the highway delivers jaw-dropping vista after vista,” says the website. The weather can change in an instant but that doesn’t mean to disregard the reports. 4. It’s also good to know that it’s a dangerous road. Mountain driving is no easy feat, especially a mountain road like the Million Dollar Highway. Though the entire stretch has been called the Million Dollar Highway, it is really the twelve miles (19 km) south of Ouray through the Uncompahgre Gorge to the summit of Red Mountain Pass which gains the highway its name. Lots of sweaty palms. Slow down and let your passenger enjoy them. For the brave souls who attempt these dangerous drives, bragging rights and sweeping vistas await. Move over n00bs. We, a buddy and I, drove pair of all-wheel drive Explorers over this road during a snowstorm. Built in the late 1880s, this part of the San Juan Skyway is listed as among the most spectacular drives in the world by dangerousroads.org. It’s all about being smart. Some estimates have listed the 401 as not only the busiest highway in Canada, but the busiest in all of North America.… Whether in a convertible or with the windows down there’s just something freeing about feeling the hugs of a curve and the wind through your hair. Million Dollar Highway. There are about 40 accidents a year, with around seven fatalities, on the Highway to Hell. You'll be on the "outside" for a while with a hell of a view to your right (let the passenger look. Required fields are marked *. Perhaps Colorado’s most famous road, the Million Dollar Highway is also one of the most dangerous. While summer temperatures can range between 70 and 90 °F, during winter there are heavy snowfalls. The Million Dollar highway a good quality road and easy to drive, as long as you don’t drive too fast. On top of that, the speed limit is also low, around 25 miles per hour with many of the turns marked at 10. The Million Dollar Highway, Colorado Southwest Colorado's Million Dollar Highway is, for much of its length, an idyllic, breathtakingly beautiful alpine road that connects Durango to … For those who prefer an adrenaline-pumping drive over a leisurely pleasure cruise, the following 20 roads offer hairpin turns, inclement weather, vertigo-inducing drops, and sometimes downright hazardous conditions. On any standard map, the drive appears to be little more than a thoroughfare connecting the two tiny towns of Ouray and Silverton, Colorado. Red Mountain Pass is the highest point on that road. Follow all posted signs. Offering breathtaking mountain, valley and gorge views, the Million Dollar Highway is one of the most beloved roads in the country. The Million Dollar Highway is the stretch of highway between Silverton and Ouray, Colorado, and it is 100% worth the drive! The 12 miles south of Ouray—particularly for Durango-bound drivers, who are exposed to the unprotected cliffsides—are steep, twisting and completely unforgiving of driver error. The weather on this zone is harsh and highly unpredictable and it does not take much time for the bright sun shine to change over to moderate to heavy snow fall. This road has humbled many egos. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. The Million Dollar Highway is one of the best drives in Colorado in the USA, but it also one of the most dangerous road in the country. I have to add a special section in this article about the Million Dollar Highway, because it is so spectacular and also very dangerous in stretches. The origin of the nickname is disputed but supposedly comes from one of several local sayings, including: “You’d have to pay me a million dollars to drive that road in the winter.” Interstate 25 is a north-south highway bisecting the state. That said, it’s completely doable and a normal commute for many locals. This road should be avoided by those unfamiliar with it in snowy, icy and wet conditions.

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