San Juan Skyway Scenic and Historic Byway

Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway

San Juan Skyway
Scenic and Historic Byway

Route information
Maintained by CDOT
Length| 236 mi<[1][2] (380 km)
Existed| September 1988[3]–present
Major junctions
South end|  US 550 / US 160 Durango
North end|  US 550 / SH 62 Ridgway
Location
Country| United States
State| Colorado
Counties| Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma, San Juan, and San Miguel counties
Highway system

* Scenic Byways

* National
* National Forest
* BLM
* NPS

* Colorado State Highway System

* Interstate
* US
* State
* Scenic

The San Juan Skyway Scenic and Historic Byway is a 236-mile (380 km) All-American Road, National Forest Scenic Byway, and Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway located in Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma, San Juan, and San Miguel counties, Colorado, United States. The byway forms a loop in southwestern Colorado traversing the heart of the San Juan Mountains. The San Juan Skyway reaches its zenith at Red Mountain Pass at elevation 11,018 feet (3,358 m). Mesa Verde National Park was one of the original UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Silverton Historic District and the Telluride Historic District are National Historic Landmarks.

It roughly parallels the routes of the narrow gauge railways: Rio Grande Southern (US 160, SH 145 and SH 62); and the unconnected Ouray and Silverton Branches of the Denver & Rio Grande along US 550 with the Silverton Railroad bridging a part of the gap. Its origin can be traced to the Around the Circle Route promoted by the D&RG.

The San Juan Skyway overlaps with the Trail of the Ancients Scenic and Historic Byway on Colorado State Highway 145 between U.S. Highway 160 and Colorado State Highway 184. The San Juan Skyway connects with the Tracks Across Borders Scenic and Historic Byway at Durango, the Alpine Loop Back Country Byway at Silverton and Ouray, and the Unaweep Tabeguache Scenic Byway at Placerville.

## Route description

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### U.S. Highway 160

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View of San Juan Mountains from the San Juan Skyway

Starting in Durango, Colorado, the largest city on San Juan Skyway, the byway follows U.S. Highway 160 (US 160) west through the town of Mancos to Cortez passing the entrance to Mesa Verde National Park.

### State Highway 145

[edit]

Lizard Head Peak

The byway turns north at Cortez, following State Highway 145 (SH 145) through the town of Dolores and the Dolores River into the San Juan National Forest. The byway passes through Rico, county seat of Dolores County prior to 1941. The old Courthouse still remains. From Rico the byway crosses 10,222 ft (3116 m) Lizard Head Pass and enters the Uncompahgre National Forest. Lizard Head Pass provides views of the 14,159-foot (4,316 m) El Diente Peak, the 14,246-foot (4,342 m) Mount Wilson, the 14,017-foot (4,272 m) Wilson Peak and the pass's namesake, the 13,113-foot (3,997 m) Lizard Head Peak. The byway descends near the town of Ophir past the location of the Ophir Loop of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad. A spur road heads off to the mining town turned ski resort of Telluride. The byway follows the San Miguel River to the town of Placerville.

### State Highway 62

[edit]

The byway turns east at Placerville onto SH 62 and follows it over Dallas Divide. There are many excellent views of the San Juan Mountains, especially of the mountains around the 14,150-foot (4,310 m) Mount Sneffels. From the top of the divide the byway descends into the town of Ridgway. The entire route of the byway from Durango to Ridgway roughly follows the route of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad.

### U.S. Highway 550

[edit]

The characteristic red mountains of Red Mountain Pass Abrams Mountain above Ouray

From Ridgway, the byway turns south onto US 550 following the Uncompahgre River into the Victorian mining town of Ouray. The highway is referred to as the Million Dollar Highway from Ouray south back to Durango. For the first 7.0 miles (11.3 km) south of Ouray the byway follows through the Uncompahgre Gorge. Just past the only tunnel on the route, just south of Ouray, the road crosses over Bear Creek Falls on a bridge at the location of an impassable toll booth on the original road. The Alpine Loop National Back Country Byway, a four wheel drive jeep road, takes off in the gorge south of Bear Creek Falls. Before leaving the gorge the byway passes through a snow shed under the Riverside Slide avalanche zone. A monument stands near here honoring those who have lost their lives in the avalanche, including several snowplow operators. At this point the byway enters Ironton Park, a nice flat valley in contrast to the gorge. The road ascends several switchbacks, or S-curves, past the Idarado mining operation to the 11,018-foot (3,358 m) summit of Red Mountain Pass, providing views of Red Mountain and several ghost towns. Back into the San Juan National Forest the highway descends through the Chattanooga Valley to Silverton.

From Silverton the byway passes over the 10,910-foot (3,330 m) Molas Pass and the 10,640-foot (3,240 m) Coal Bank Pass, descending past the ski resort of Purgatory Resort. From Hermosa, the road parallels the Durango and Silverton narrow gauge railroad before returning to Durango.

## History

[edit]

The San Juan Skyway was designated as a National Forest Scenic Byway in September 1988. It was later named a Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway in 1989 and an All-American Road in September 1996.[4]

## Gallery

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* A stagecoach in Silverton

* Ouray

## See also

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* History portal
* U.S. Roads portal
* Colorado portal

* History Colorado

## Notes

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## References

[edit]

1. ^ "San Juan Skyway". Colorado Department of Transportation. 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
2. ^ "San Juan Skyway". America's Scenic Byways. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
3. ^ Staff. "San Juan Skyway". National Scenic Byways. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
4. ^ Staff. "Official Designations". San Juan Skyway. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved September 11, 2011.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to San Juan Skyway Scenic and Historic Byway.

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Protected areas of Colorado

Federal|

| 4 National Parks|

* Black Canyon of the Gunnison
* Great Sand Dunes
* Mesa Verde
* Rocky Mountain

|

9 National Monuments|

* Browns Canyon (BLM-USFS)
* Camp Hale-Continental Divide (USFS)
* Canyons of the Ancients (BLM)
* Chimney Rock (USFS)
* Colorado
* Dinosaur
* Florissant Fossil Beds
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3 National Historic Sites|

* Amache
* Bent's Old Fort
* Sand Creek Massacre

2 National Recreation Areas|

* Arapaho (USFS)
* Curecanti

1 Wild and Scenic River|

* Cache la Poudre River

4 National Historic Trails|

* California Trail
* Old Spanish Trail
* Pony Express Trail
* Santa Fe Trail

1 National Scenic Trail|

* Continental Divide Trail

11 National Forests|

* Arapaho
* Grand Mesa
* Gunnison
* Medicine Bow–Routt
* Pike
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* Roosevelt
* San Isabel
* San Juan
* Uncompahgre
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2 National Grasslands|

* Comanche
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44 National Wildernesses|

* Black Canyon of the Gunnison
* Black Ridge Canyons
* Buffalo Peaks
* Byers Peak
* Cache La Poudre
* Collegiate Peaks
* Comanche Peak
* Dominguez Canyon
* Eagles Nest
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* Greenhorn Mountain
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* Sarvis Creek
* South San Juan
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* Uncompahgre
* Vasquez Peak
* Weminuche
* West Elk

3 National Conservation Areas|

* Dominguez–Escalante
* Gunnison Gorge
* McInnis Canyons

8 National Wildlife Refuges|

* Alamosa
* Arapaho
* Baca
* Browns Park
* Monte Vista
* Rocky Flats
* Rocky Mountain Arsenal
* Two Ponds

3 National Heritage Areas|

* Cache la Poudre River Corridor
* Sangre de Cristo
* South Park

28 National Historic Landmarks|

* Beaver Meadows Visitor Center
* Bent's Old Fort
* Central City/Black Hawk Historic District
* Colorado Chautauqua
* Cripple Creek Historic District
* Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad
* Denver Civic Center
* Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
* Elitch Gardens Carousel
* Georgetown–Silver Plume Historic District
* Granada War Relocation Center
* Leadville Historic District
* Lindenmeier site
* Lowry Pueblo
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* Minnequa Steel Works
* Pikes Peak
* Pike's Stockade
* Raton Pass
* Red Rocks Park
* Shenandoah-Dives Mill
* Silverton Historic District
* Telluride Historic District
* Temple Aaron
* Trujillo Homesteads
* United States Air Force Academy, Cadet Area
* Winks Panorama

16 National Natural Landmarks|

* Big Spring Creek
* Garden of the Gods
* Garden Park Fossil Area
* Hanging Lake
* Indian Springs Trace Fossil Natural Area
* Lost Creek Scenic Area
* Morrison-Golden Fossil Areas
* Raton Mesa
* Roxborough
* Russell Lakes
* Sand Creek
* Slumgullion Earthflow
* Spanish Peaks
* Sulphur Cave and Spring
* Summit Lake
* West Bijou Site

National Register of Historic Places|

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Colorado

State|

| 43 State Parks|

* Arkansas Headwaters
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|

1 State Forest|

* State Forest

307 State Wildlife Areas|

* List of Colorado state wildlife areas

96 State Natural Areas|

* Aiken Canyon
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* Sand Creek
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* South Beaver Creek
* South Boulder Creek
* South Cathedral Bluffs
* Specimen Mountain
* Staunton
* Tamarack Ranch
* Treasurevault Mountain
* Trinidad K-T Boundary
* Two Buttes
* Unaweep Seep
* Wacker Ranch
* West Creek
* Wheeler Geologic
* White Rocks
* Yanks Gulch/Upper Greasewood Creek Natural Area
* Zapata Falls

26 Scenic and Historic Byways|

* Alpine Loop
* Cache la Poudre-North Park
* Collegiate Peaks
* Colorado River Headwaters
* Dinosaur Diamond
* Flat Tops Trail
* Frontier Pathways
* Gold Belt Tour
* Grand Mesa
* Guanella Pass
* Highway of Legends
* Lariat Loop
* Los Caminos Antiguos
* Mount Blue Sky
* Pawnee Pioneer Trails
* Peak to Peak
* San Juan Skyway
* Santa Fe Trail
* Silver Thread
* South Platte River Trail
* Top of the Rockies
* Tracks Across Borders
* Trail of the Ancients
* Trail Ridge Road/Beaver Meadow
* Unaweep Tabeguache
* West Elk Loop

Trails|

| 28 National Recreation Trails|

* Apex
* Barr
* Bear Creek
* Big Dry Creek
* Calico
* Crag Crest
* Devils Head
* Fish Creek Falls
* Grays Peak
* Greyrock Mountain
* High Line Canal
* Highline Loop
* Lake Fork
* Mineral Belt
* Mount Evans
* Mount McConnel
* Petroglyph Point
* Platte River Greenway
* Poudre River
* Rocky Mountain Arsenal
* Round Mountain
* Swamp Park
* Two Elk
* Two Ponds
* Vail Pass
* West Lost Trail Creek
* Wheeler Ten Mile
* White House Ranch

|

6 Regional Trails|

* American Discovery Trail
* Colorado Trail
* Great Divide Mountain Bike Route
* Kokopelli's Trail
* Paradox Trail
* Tabeguache Trail

* Colorado Department of Natural Resources

37°53′56″N 107°42′43″W﻿ / ﻿37.8989°N 107.7119°W﻿ / 37.8989; -107.7119﻿ (Red Mountain Pass)
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