Driving Colorado’s Million Dollar Highway

THIS PAST SUMMER, we spent almost two glorious months traveling around the San Juan Mountains in south-western Colorado. With tons of mining history, epic mountain peaks, charming towns, and endless outdoor activities, this region of Colorado is now one of our favorite places in the United States

One of the highlights of our time in the area was driving the Million Dollar Highway. This 25-mile stretch of Highway 550, which was first built in the 1880s as a narrow wagon road, connects the towns of Silverton and Ouray.

There’s debate about the real origin of the name, but theories include how much it cost to build, the amount of gold ore that remained in the roadway’s fill, a traveler once proclaiming, “I would not travel that road again