Recommended
Colorado Roads550 Durango to Ridgway 80 miles
550, also called the million dollar highway, travels over Coal Bank Pass at 10,640ft, Molas Divide at 10,910ft; 7% grade and Red Mountain Pass at 11,118ft; 7+% grade. This road is very twisty near the Molas Divide, most turns are banked and very tight, some are also very steep and there is no guard rails and no shoulder. My favorite section is up and over Red Mountain Pass, which is also very curvy all the way down the other side via Red Mountain Creek. Best scenery in Colorado but a lot of traffic and some construction. Check out the town of Ouray on the way, also called Switzerland of America. Even though this road may have heavy tourist traffic and some construction, I would not miss it. The curves are great and pretty technical, with no room for error. Even if you get stuck behind a slow moving car there is so many scenic pullouts to stop at, or you can just enjoy the the best views in Colorado. Visited 8/04.
More pictures of this road [1] * [2] * [3] * [4] * [5] * [6] * [7] * [8] * [9]
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Zoomed in section Coal Bank Pass and Molas Devide
Zoomed in section Red Mountain Pass
