U.S. Route 550 (US 550) is a spur of
U.S. Highway 50
U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...
that runs from
Bernalillo, New Mexico
Bernalillo () is a town in and the county seat of Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 8,977 at the 2020 census.
Bernalillo is part of the Albuquerque metropolitan area.
History Wine Festival
In the 1620s, the wine ...
to
Montrose, Colorado
Montrose is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Montrose County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 20,291 at the 2020 census, within a total area of 18.5 square miles. The m ...
in the western
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The section from
Silverton to
Ouray is frequently called the Million Dollar Highway.
[Road Trip America – Million Dollar Highway]
by Mark Sedenquist accessed Oct 21, 2007
It is one of the roads on the
Trails of the Ancients Byway, one of the designated
New Mexico Scenic Byways
Scenic and Historic Byways are highways in New Mexico known for their scenic beauty or historic significance. The New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department Scenic and Historic Byways Program was made effective July 31, 1998 to establ ...
.
[Trail of the Ancients.](_blank)
New Mexico Tourism Department. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
Route description
New Mexico
U.S. 550 begins just north of
Albuquerque
Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...
at
Bernalillo
Bernalillo () is a town in and the county seat of Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 8,977 at the 2020 census.
Bernalillo is part of the Albuquerque metropolitan area.
History Wine Festival
In the 1620s, the wine g ...
and passes through the towns of
San Ysidro,
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
,
Bloomfield, and
Aztec
The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the Post-Classic stage, post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central ...
. Except for sections passing through the above listed towns, U.S. 550 in New Mexico has been widened to four lanes, offering a faster (70 mph) connection for
Farmington, New Mexico
Farmington (Navajo language, Navajo: Tóta') is a city in San Juan County, New Mexico, San Juan County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 46,624 people. Farmington (and ...
, and
Durango, Colorado
Durango is the home rule city that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of La Plata County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 19,071 at the 2020 United States census. Durango is the home of Fort Lewis College ...
, to
Albuquerque
Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...
and
Santa Fe.
Colorado
Most of U.S. 550 in Colorado is two-lane mountainous highway. It is one of only two north–south U.S. Highways in Colorado which runs west of the
Continental Divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...
. (The other route is
US 491
U.S. Route 491 (US 491) is a north–south U.S. Highway serving the Four Corners region of the United States. It was created in 2003 as a renumbering of U.S. Route 666 (US 666). With the US 666 designation, the road was nicknamed ...
.) The route travels north through the
San Juan Mountains
The San Juan Mountains is a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. The area is highly mineralized (the Colorado Mineral Belt) and figured in the gold and silver mining industry ...
.
The Million Dollar Highway stretches for about in western Colorado and follows the route of U.S. 550 between
Silverton and
Ouray,
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
. It is part of the
San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway
The San Juan Skyway Scenic and Historic Byway is a 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 ...
. Between Durango and Silverton the Skyway loosely parallels the
Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, often abbreviated as the D&SNG, is a 3 ft gauge railways, 3 ft (914 mm) Narrow-gauge railway, narrow-gauge heritage railway, heritage railroad that operates on of track between Durango, C ...
.
Although the entire stretch has been called the Million Dollar Highway, it is actually just the south of Ouray through the
Uncompahgre Gorge
The Uncompahgre Gorge is a deep mountain canyon formed by the Uncompahgre River and Red Mountain Creek in the Uncompahgre National Forest. It is located just south of Ouray, in Ouray County, Colorado.
At the north end of the Gorge the Uncompa ...
to the summit of
Red Mountain Pass which gives the highway its name. This stretch through the gorge is challenging and potentially hazardous to drive; it is characterized by steep cliffs, narrow lanes, and a lack of guardrails; the ascent of Red Mountain Pass is marked with a number of hairpin curves used to gain elevation, narrow lanes for traffic—many cut directly into the sides of mountains. During this ascent, the remains of the
Idarado Mine
The Idarado Mine was a mining operation in the San Juan Mountains of Ouray County, Colorado near the now-ghost town of Guston, Colorado, Guston, producing primarily lead, zinc and silver along with small amounts of gold and copper. The mine ...
are visible. Travel north from Silverton to Ouray allows drivers to hug the inside of curves; travel south from Ouray to Silverton perches drivers on the vertiginous outside edge of the highway. Large
RVs travel in both directions, which adds a degree of challenge to people in cars.
The road is kept open year-round. Summer temperatures can range from highs between at the ends of the highway to in the mountain passes. The snow season starts in October, and snow will often close the road in winter. Chains may be required to drive.
[Million Dollar Highway]
/ref>
North of Durango, the highway passes by Trimble Springs Trimble could refer to:
Places
;United States
* Trimble, Alabama Cullman County, Alabama, (Cullman County)
* Trimble, Colorado, an unincorporated community
* Trimble, Georgia Troup County, Georgia, (Troup County)
* Trimble, Illinois Crawford Count ...
, hot springs that have been open for visitors since the late 19th century. The highway runs north along the Animas River
Animas River (''On-e-mas''; ) is a river in the western United States, a tributary of the San Juan River, part of the Colorado River System.
The river has experienced numerous catastrophes due to the mining nearby, the largest being the 201 ...
, under the Hermosa Cliffs. It enters the San Juan National Forest
The San Juan National Forest is a U.S. National Forest covering over 1,878,846 acres (2,935.7 sq mi, or 7,603.42 km²) in western Colorado. The forest occupies land in Archuleta, Conejos, Dolores, Hinsdale, La Plata, Mineral, Montezum ...
and goes past Haviland Lake and Electra Lake. Drivers pass by Engineer Mountain and Twilight Peak before crossing Coal Bank Pass. Next is Molas Pass, which offers a panoramic view of Molas Lake, the Animas River Gorge, and Snowdon Peak
Snowdon Peak is a mountain summit located in San Juan County, Colorado, United States. It is situated seven miles south of the community of Silverton, in the Weminuche Wilderness, on land managed by San Juan National Forest. It is part of the ...
. Northbound travelers then pass through the town of Silverton, elevation , surrounded by peaks Sultan Mountain, Kendall Mountain
Kendall Mountain is a small ski area located at the town of Silverton, Colorado. It was developed by the Grand Imperial Hotel in the 1950s and opened for business in the early 1960s. In 1983, the area was found to be operating without a permit an ...
, and Storm Peak.[
The highway leaves Silverton and proceeds up Mineral Creek Valley before ascending to Red Mountain Pass. The ruins of the Longfellow Mine are visible along the way. The highway then goes through a series of steep grades and hairpin turns before reaching Lookout Point, which offers a view of the town of Ouray.][
]
This section of the route passes over three mountain pass
A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...
es:
* Coal Bank Pass, elevation .
* Molas Pass, elevation .
* Red Mountain Pass, elevation .
The origin of the name Million Dollar Highway is disputed. There are several legends, though, including that it cost a million dollars a mile to build in the 1920s, and that its fill dirt contains a million dollars in gold ore.[
There are seventy named avalanche paths that intersect Highway 550 in the between Ouray and Silverton, Colorado.
U.S. 550 ends at the corner of Townsend Avenue and San Juan Avenue in ]Montrose, Colorado
Montrose is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Montrose County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 20,291 at the 2020 census, within a total area of 18.5 square miles. The m ...
at the junction of its parent route U.S. Highway 50
U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...
.
History
The original portion of the Million Dollar Highway was a toll road
A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road for which a fee (or ''Toll (fee), toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented to help recoup the costs of road construction and ...
built by Otto Mears
Otto Mears (May 3, 1840 – June 24, 1931) was a Colorado railroad builder and entrepreneur who played a major role in the early development of southwestern Colorado.
Mears was known as the "Pathfinder of the San Juans" because of his roa ...
in 1883 to connect
Ouray and Ironton.[
Another toll road was built over Red Mountain Pass from Ironton to Silverton.
In the late 1880s ]Otto Mears
Otto Mears (May 3, 1840 – June 24, 1931) was a Colorado railroad builder and entrepreneur who played a major role in the early development of southwestern Colorado.
Mears was known as the "Pathfinder of the San Juans" because of his roa ...
turned to building railroads and built the Silverton Railroad
The Silverton Railroad, now defunct, was an American Narrow gauge railways, narrow gauge railroad constructed between Silverton, Colorado, Silverton, Colorado and mining districts near Red Mountain Pass (San Juan Mountains), Red Mountain Pass ...
north from
Silverton over Red Mountain Pass to reach the lucrative mining districts around
Red Mountain, terminating at Albany just south of Ouray.
The remaining were considered too difficult and steep for a railroad.
At one point a cog railroad was proposed, but it never made it beyond the planning stage.
In the early 1920s, the original toll road
A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road for which a fee (or ''Toll (fee), toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented to help recoup the costs of road construction and ...
was rebuilt at considerable cost and became the present day US 550. The Million Dollar Highway was completed in 1924.[
Today the entire route is part of the ]San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway
The San Juan Skyway Scenic and Historic Byway is a 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 ...
.
US 550 was part of the original 1926 federal highway system. The original highway extended from Montrose, Colorado
Montrose is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Montrose County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 20,291 at the 2020 census, within a total area of 18.5 square miles. The m ...
at U.S. Highway 50
U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...
to U.S. Highway 450 (now U.S. Highway 160) at Durango, Colorado
Durango is the home rule city that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of La Plata County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 19,071 at the 2020 United States census. Durango is the home of Fort Lewis College ...
. In 1934, Highway 550 was extended through Farmington to Shiprock
Shiprock (, "rock with wings" or "winged rock") is a monadnock rising nearly above the high-desert plain of the Navajo Nation in San Juan County, New Mexico, United States. Its peak elevation is above sea level. It is southwest of the town ...
, New Mexico
New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
. In 1989, the western end of US 550 was replaced with US 64 between Farmington and Shiprock
Shiprock (, "rock with wings" or "winged rock") is a monadnock rising nearly above the high-desert plain of the Navajo Nation in San Juan County, New Mexico, United States. Its peak elevation is above sea level. It is southwest of the town ...
. In 2000, US 550 was extended further south from Aztec
The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the Post-Classic stage, post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central ...
to Bernalillo
Bernalillo () is a town in and the county seat of Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 8,977 at the 2020 census.
Bernalillo is part of the Albuquerque metropolitan area.
History Wine Festival
In the 1620s, the wine g ...
to replace the newly widened NM 44 and NM 544, at which time all of US 550 in New Mexico
New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
was four lanes.
In 2009 US 50 was re-routed onto the San Juan Avenue bypass to avoid downtown Montrose. As a result, U.S. 550 was extended approximately one mile northwest to intersect with the new U.S. 50 alignment.
On July 17, 2024, the segment of US 550 leading into Durango from the south was realigned onto a four-lane divided highway tying into the Grandview Interchange. This realignment bypasses a former steep, curvy alignment up Farmington Hill and includes a new roundabout.
Major intersections
Related routes
* U.S. Route 50
U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...
* U.S. Route 150
U.S. Route 150 (US 150) is a 571-mile (919 km) long northwest–southeast United States highway, signed as east–west. It runs from U.S. Route 6 outside of Moline, Illinois, to U.S. Route 25 in Mount Vernon, Kentucky.
Route descripti ...
* U.S. Route 250
U.S. Route 250 (US 250) is a route of the United States Numbered Highway System, and is a spur of U.S. Route 50. It currently runs for from Richmond, Virginia, to Sandusky, Ohio. It passes through the states of Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohi ...
* U.S. Route 350
* U.S. Route 450
U.S. Route 160 (US 160) is a east–west United States Numbered Highway in the Midwestern and Western United States. The western terminus of the route is at US 89 west of Tuba City, Arizona. The eastern terminus is at US 67 and Missouri ...
* U.S. Route 650
See also
* List of United States Numbered Highways
United States Numbered Highways are the components of a national system of highways administered by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officia ...
* Cascade Lodge
References
External links
Endpoints of U.S. Highway 550
{{authority control
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Transportation in Sandoval County, New Mexico
Transportation in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico
Transportation in San Juan County, New Mexico
Transportation in La Plata County, Colorado
Transportation in San Juan County, Colorado
Transportation in Ouray County, Colorado
Transportation in Montrose County, Colorado
San Juan National Forest
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