Wednesday, June 15, 2022
Montrose to Dolores via the Million Dollar Highway
Not a lot on the agenda today - just one of the most scenic drives in the world! South of Montrose, US 550 soon becomes synonymous with the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway. The most spectacular 25 miles of the skyway, between Ouray and Silverton, is also known as the Million Dollar Highway, in reference to its million-dollars views.
Stunning Ouray sits nestled within a bowl of rugged mountains. This historic little town of 1,000 folks was once bustling with miners. Now it's a center for outdoor recreation.
The 6.5-mile Ouray Perimeter Trail loops above the town to its most scenic spots, but at 7,760 feet in elevation, we decided to just hit the highlights.
Lower Cascade Falls can be seen from anywhere in town, but that's not good enough! We took the short but very steep trail to the base of the falls and then a little ways beyond, for a hike of a mile by the time we returned to the truck.
Lower Cascade Falls, Ouray
On the other side of Ouray, we stopped again at Box Canyon Park. A must-do! For a $5 parking fee, we had access to two outstanding trails, which together came to just over a mile.
Box Canyon Park
Falls Trail leads into a narrow box canyon where a powerful waterfall crashes loudly into the confined space. A steel-mesh walkway lets you get impressively close to the thundering falls, ending in a metal staircase leading to its base.
Falls Trail
Jana at Box Canyon Falls
Staircase within the Box Canyon
High Bridge Trail climbs to the top of the box canyon, where we crossed a footbridge into a tunnel. On the far side of the tunnel, it looked like the trail continues down into town, but we turned around and backtracked to Big Red. Awesome!
High Bridge at Box Canyon Park
Tom on the High Bridge
From the bridge
Leaving Ouray, the road climbs southward into the mountains. The steep, winding Million Dollar Highway isn't frightening, but it does demand the driver's attention, especially since the road is shared with large trucks and motorhomes. Luckily, there are enough pulloffs to satisfy any ogler.
Ouray, Colorado
Bear Creek Falls
Red Mountain
Abandoned Ironton, once a thriving town with over 100 buildings and 1,000 residents, is only a few hundred yards off the highway and fun to explore.
Gold and silver mining, along with the U.S. government's artificially inflated precious metal prices, brought a rush of people to this area in the late 1800s. When the government later repealed its subsidy, many communities collapsed, and these days, ghost towns and dilapidated structures can be found throughout these mountains.
Ironton ghost town
Once thriving
Now not so much
Red Mountain Creek
From Ironton, the road continues to climb up to 11,018-foot Red Mountain Pass. At the Red Mountain Mine Overlook, we observed some more old mineworks. The iron-rich soil causes the land's striking red hue.
Red Mountain Mine
After crossing another ridge at 10,910-foot Molas Pass, the road then descends slightly to Silverton, at 9,318 feet. Silverton is another former mining town in a remote but stunning setting. Today, the tiny town survives on tourism, mainly as the terminus of the popular Durango and Silverton Narrow-Gauge Railroad. The historic downtown architecture was worth a short stop.
Silverton Train Station
Silverton City Hall
Downtown Silverton
48 miles and almost 3,000 vertical feet below Silverton, we coasted into Durango, at the southern edge of the San Juan Mountains. When I was a teenager, I twice backpacked on multi-day trips through these mountains with a Methodist youth group. We rode the narrow-gauge railroad out from Durango, hiked a five-day horseshoe of 60 miles or so, then boarded the train again for a ride back to town. Good times!
Molas Pass
San Juan Mountains
Durango Train Station
Tom rides into town
From Durango, we caught US 160 to Dolores, Colorado, where we'd be spending the night. Little Dolores, population only 885, actually has a brewery! After quickly stopping by our motel at 6:30, we ran over to check the place out before its 8:00 p.m. closing time. The beer was great, there was live music in the outdoor beer garden, and we were able to get a delicious dinner from Kelly's Kitchen Food Truck.
One of my favorite tiny towns
Dolores River Brewery
Bike store in a retro building
Lodging: Outpost Motel & RV Park, on the bank of the picturesque Dolores River. I didn't quite know what to expect here, but we were pleasantly surprised. They had 10 motel rooms and space to park maybe 20 RVs. Our room was cute, clean, and comfortable, with all the standard amenities. The owner had left me a voice-mail earlier in the day that she'd be out of the office when we arrived, but she'd leave our room unlocked with the key inside, and that's just what happened. Small towns!
Tonight's home away from home
Cute cabin
Dolores River
|