3. San Juan Skyway
Features
- Key byway features.
Chamber Of Commerce Sites
- These sites include travel and lodging info.
Current Weather And MapQuest Directions
- Find the fastest route.
Roadway Conditions
- CDOT's real time road conditions and closure status.
If byways could claim royal lineage, this one would probably rule them all. Start with the major towns along the route - 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. 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. It is one of ten America’s Byways® designated in Colorado.
Length:
236 miles
Driving time:
6 hours
Contact:
San Juan National Forest
15 Burnett Court
Durango CO 81301
(970)247-4874
Email:
apeterson01@fs.fed.us
Website:
http://www.sanjuanskyway.com
