Packed with scenic views and a gush of thrill, the high mountain road of Colorado, "Million Dollar Highway" is one of the most spectacular drives in the USA. Running from Silverton Colorado to Ouray Colorado, it’s a sprawling 25-mile scenic drive.
Known for its legendary mining history (and immersive tours), gorgeous mountain views, and hairpin curves, it is also deemed a scary drive by a few. A caveat does exist: avoid this drive in winter owing to snow—but consider visiting snow-covered cities in Colorado for other in-season adventures. In tamer seasons, check out everything the Million Dollar Highway has to offer.
10 Explore The Town Of Silverton
A town still stuck back in time, Silverton is a town to explore. A historic mining town with ancient buildings, unpaved streets, scenic views, hiking trails, ice lakes basins, quaint cafés, and swishing historic charm all over indeed.
Visit the One Hundred Gold Mine, which gives visitors an opportunity to ride in an electric-powered mine train, be at Galena Mountain standing 13,000 feet tall, explore the mine as well as learn mining techniques, ending the tour on a fascinating note by witnessing the equipment from the 1930s.
- Tour Cost: Around $28 per adult.
Apart from this, the Silverton area has a lot of hiking trails. Ice Lakes Basin, an 8.6 miles trail with 3070 feet of elevation, and Columbine Lake, an 8.3 miles trail with 2933 feet of elevation are two of them. Grab a coffee and breakfast burrito at Coffee Bear or head towards Kendall Mountain Cafe.
9 Visit The Red Mountain Pass
After Silverton, travelers will witness the Red Mountain Pass Landmark. Filled with mining camps, it is situated at 11,018 feet. Grab the chance to explore the three peaks of Red Mountains, and encounter the remains of Yankee Girl, Longfellow, and Idarado mines and abandoned buildings.
Surrounded by red-colored mountains dotted with green trees, this place is quite scenic to explore around.
8 Explore The San Juan National Forest
One of the important landmarks of Million Dollar Highway is San Juan National Forest. The place sprawls across 1.8 million acres of desert, meadows, canyons, and mountain peaks.
As the forest is quite dense, it has multiple opportunities for camping, hunting, biking, and fishing, and the pristine Haviland Lake is a cherry on top.
7 Halt At Molas Lake
The gorgeous Molas Lake is another gorgeous halt in Silverton. A 25-acre water body with stunning views around, this lake is also one of the best camping sites in Colorado.
Molas Lake is famous for birdwatching, boating, and camping. The lake has almost 50 camping sites and one can explore the Colorado trail via mountain bike, horseback, or foot.
6 The Beauty Of Uncompahgre Gorge
To the south of Ouray lies Uncompahgre Gorge, a deep and steep canyon. One of the popular points on the Million Dollar Highway, this gorge comprises rugged peaks, steep valley walls, a gushing river, and waterfalls galore.
Formed by the Uncompahgre River and Red Mountain Creek, it is considered the most scenic albeit the most dangerous part of the drive too.
5 Marvel At Colossal Bear Creek Falls
This dramatic waterfall is near Ouray & popularly visited during exploring the fall foliage of the southwest Rockies. Being almost 227 feet tall, it plunges down into a narrow canyon, Bear Creek.
This is one of the best waterfalls in Colorado, but there's also Bear Creek Trail to explore; it's around a 4.5-mile round trip.
4 Explore The Town Of Ouray
Located in Southwest Colorado, the town of Ouray has plenty of attractions and activities. Right from hiking trails, exploring old mines, ghost towns, or the fascinating history of the town, enjoying the gorgeous mountains enveloped around, or relaxing in hot springs, Ouray will provide visitors with a lot on every front.
Check the list of visiting the Box Canyon Falls Park, a vast canyon accompanied by a colossal waterfall of 285 feet, or Cascade Falls, a 200-foot fall where the snow melt forms seven cascades and waterfalls.
Visitors can also explore the town via Ouray’s Historical Walking Tour exploring old houses, churches, shops, restaurants, etc. In that case, visit Mouse’s Chocolates & Coffee where truffles & coffee will be a treat. Also, Ouray Brewery, a brewpub, and restaurant have award-winning beers and delicious food to smack on.
3 Rejuvenate With Ancient Hot Springs
The hot springs in Ouray are another experience to make this trip memorable. Due to Ouray’s geological location, the hot springs over here are odorless and have healing properties. Ouray Hot Springs Pool is another restorative experience much needed after adrenaline-gushing activities.
Box Canyon Lodge and Hot Springs and Twin Peak Lodge and Hot Springs are another two properties recommended for the same. The benefits of hot springs are lowering blood pressure, and anxiety as well as enhancing healthy skin.
- Cost: between $12 to $18 per visit.
2 Explore The Area Via Jeep
Exploring the area via jeep is surely not a cheap affair but definitely a memorable one. Renting jeeps from Switzerland of America Jeeps in Ouray gives visitors some stunning views of Colorado.
While there are ample trails, travelers can also visit Corkscrew Gulch, Animas Forks, part of Yankee Boy Basin which has stunning views as well as their own sort of adventures.
1 Best Stops To Eat In Silverton
As previously mentioned, Coffee Bear is quite good for coffee and burritos.
Grab a slice of pizza, or tacos at Avalanche Brewing Company accompanied by some refreshing brews, Handlebars, an outlet popular for burgers, Rocky Mountain Funnel Cake Factory, particularly for sweet treats, and Eureka Station, in case the hunger kicks in and craving for multiple options.