Driving to Silverton From Durango

(Highway 550 towards Silverton from Durango)

I started my journey in Durango, Colorado. Durango is a small mountain town that sits near the base of The Million Dollar Highway. The downtown was your typical old western style city, but nothing really stood out to me here. 

Driving out of town north on Highway 550, the scenery started to improve quite drastically. Getting out of the tall canyons surrounding Durango and into the lush mountains of The San Juans was a welcome sight. The San Juans look different than other mountain ranges in colorado, something hard to describe. They are taller and more jagged, like something you would see in The Swiss Alps…hence why some of these towns like Ourey and Telluride are called “The Switzerland of America.”

I hadn’t even made it to Silverton yet and every five minutes I was pulling over to take video with my drone. I purposefully decided to take this trip in mid September when all the aspen tree’s were peaking. I was surrounded by other tourists and motorcycle groups from all over the country. I took a picture of one motorcyle group from Indiana and another from Oklahoma. 

Driving Into Silverton

(Silverton, Colorado)

As I drove closer to the city limits of Silverton, the road become fairly steep and narrow. I wasn’t on The Million Dollar Highway just yet, but Silverton was a good place to stop for gas and explore before embarking on one of the most dangerous highways in the country. 

Driving into Silverton was dramatic. The iconic “Red Mountain” with it’s unique bans of red, yellow, and orange is an amazing sight. The way this mountain town is nestled into a small valley is breath taking. Surrounded by mountains on all sides and aspen trees glowing with red, orange, and yellow hues is something I will never forget. 

Silverton is one of those small western towns that seems to be frozen in time. The architecture is uniquely Victorian, sporting wild colors like orange and red on some buildings. The famous Grand Imperial Hotel sticks out like a sore thumb downtown, transporting the visitor into the wild west era in spirit. 

A prospector by the name of Charles Baker made his way into Silverton in 1860 looking for gold. The area was soon named “Bakers Park” when placer gold was found in the nearby mines. The “Sunny Side Mine” would become one of Colorado’s longest running and most prosperous mines. The mine was shut down in the 1929 stock market crash, but reopened in 1959.  

 The most notable building in downtown Silverton is the San Juan County Courthouse, which has a unique bell tower that gives this small mountain town a uniquely western feel. It can be spotted miles away as you descend into the valley, giving this town it’s historic western charm.

There is just something about being in extremely remote areas out west that brings a sense of gratitude and awe about the natural world and mans place in it. When visiting towns like Silverton you must walk around and use your imagination. This was a rowdy mining town in the 1800’s, drawing in people from all over the world. Now, most people east of the Mississippi River have probably never heard of this town. It’s ironic that these remote towns were once more diverse and populated than they are today. 

The “Million Dollar Highway”

Preparing myself mentally for The Million Dollar Highway as I filled my truck with gas was somewhat nerve wracking. For those not familiar with this stretch of highway, which is between Silverton and Ourey on Highway 550…it’s considered one of the most dangerous highways in the country. Steep drop offs and no guard rails provide a sense of danger and little room for error. I have driven Independence Pass and other high mountain passes out west like Monarch, but I wondered how I would handle this one.

The “Million Dollar Highway” was constructed in 1883 by a man named Otto Mears, who charged a toll for those brave souls willing to travel through this area. This proved to be somewhat controversial, so paving began in the 1920’s so more people could access the road. 

This is a bucket list item for many travelers who like exploring famous highways throughout the United States. The route can take anywhere from 45 minutes to over an hour to complete, depending on traffic and weather conditions. This highway takes you through Red Mountain Pass, which is a breath taking area that is surrounded by strange colored mountains filled with iron and ore deposits, giving the surrounding mountains their unique red and orange colors. The only other mountains to have this kind of coloration to my knowledge would be Red Mountain in Peru. 

Shakey Nerves & Tranquil Bliss

Now I can’t say that I wasn’t nervous driving this highway, but I can say that perhaps it’s not as bad as some people make it out to be. I purposefully drove this highway from south to north to avoid the infamous drop off that’s right outside Ourey. Probably a lot more scary coming from Ourey instead of Silverton, so I wasn’t really caught off guard about most of this highway. Perhaps I was distracted by the beauty so much that I forgot to really look below me. 

While driving this highway you will pass several old mines, such as The Red Mountain Mining District, The Old Hundred Gold Mine, Animas Forks Ghost Town. You can easily access these mines off highway 550 if you have four wheel drive. I enjoyed flying my drone around these mines while taking in the views from the numerous pull offs on the side of the road.

As I continued my drive north, it was becoming apparent that I was almost in Ourey. This meant that I was almost finished driving The Million Dollar Highway. Descending into the rocky valley of Ourey a different kind of landscape immerged, one with tall cliffs and Victorian style buildings. They call this place “The Switzerland of America”

Ourey, Colorado (“The Switzerland of America”)

(Sunset in Ourey, Colorado)

Ourey is one of those old mining towns that is located in the middle of nowhere. Perhaps its charm lies in how much of a journey is required to reach it. The more remote, the more beautiful and rewarding the town is in my mind. Ourey almost feels like Telluride because it sits in a canyon like landscape. However, each of these towns have their own unique character and vibe. 

 Driving through downtown Ourey at sunset is quite amazing. Ourey has the prettiest downtown out of all these mountain towns in the southwest. It’s hard to describe or write about, so I will let my photos and video do the talking for me. The most notable building downtown is The Beaumont Hotel, which has a rich history. Everyone from Theodore Roosevelt to Oprah Winfrey have stayed at The Beaumont.  It stands tall in the center of town with it’s tall pointed steeples. I was lucky enough to get a tour of the hotel and a nice history lesson from one of the employees at the front desk. (You can watch that tour in the video below)

I drove around Ourey for awhile before checking in at The St. Elmo Hotel. I felt instantly transported into a world that felt lost in todays soceity. Staying in Ourey really does feel like the wild west in the 1800’s. Instead of cattle wranglers and miners, these towns are filled with wealthy tourists from all over the country sporting Patagonia and North Face apparel. This is the great debocle of the new west. Small rural towns that most people east of The Mississiippi know nothing about, but those who live in the west want to vacation, retire, and live in. This inevitabley forces the local population out as they can no longer afford to live in the place where they grew up.

St. Elmo Hotel

When arriving at my hotel the first thought that went through my mind was that this place was definitely a brothel at one point. Everything was so ornate and lavish. There were no TV’s in the rooms and the hot and cold water knobs are opposite of modern day sinks and showers. The bed was an old spring based bed that I thought might break when laying on it. 

I love that these places like to retain their history. It’s rare these days to visit a place and not be surrounded by WiFi, TV’s, USB hubs, etc. After all, what’s the point of going on vacation if you can’t disconnect from the modern world? Ourey and Silverton try to preserve western culture and give a taste of the old west to visitors. For this reason, Ourey has my heart.

These towns also have good food. You won’t find any chain stores like McDonalds or Chic Fil’A. Everything is made by hand from fresh ingredients. I actually had Thai food at “Thai Chilli Restaurant,” in downtown Ourey. I recommend their egg rolls and Tom Kha soup.

Exploring The Area

No trip would be complete without a nice hike in the surrounding mountains. I was given several suggestions of where to hike, but ended up choosing the “Chief Ourey Mine” via the Upper Cascade Falls trail. While the trail was only four miles, the elevation gain was steep and around 1,955 feet. This trail kicked my butt and I was often dizzy and out of breath. I could see the town below becoming more breath taking the more elvation I climbed.

Looking down on the town of Ourey from the steep cliffs surrounding it was amazing. Colorado makes you work hard for a good view and this trail was no different. As the sun was beginning to set I began my hike down back to town. I could smell camp fires and see various people camping down below. The air was crisp and thin, it really felt like the ideal Autumn day. This was very comforting to me and I began to realize why the southwest corner of Colorado was so special. It’s merely the feeling you get when visiting these places that makes them so special. Being surrounded by such beauty changes your outlook on life. Yet again…I’m struggling to find the right words because perhaps they don’t exist.

Conclusion:

Exploring this area of Colorado was definetely worth my time and trouble. My friends were indeed correct…theres just something about how this part of Colorado looks. The steep rock walls that surround Ourey provide a sense of security and awe. Winding down The Million Dollar Highway and seeing the reds, oranges, and yellows of the aspen trees is unique. 

Shows like Yellowstone exagerate the life of ranchers and the American west. But one thing they do get right is the sense of connection man has with certain areas of land. You have to see these areas to really understand how they can transform you spiritually and mentally. Preservation and conservation take on a whole new meaning out here. The worst thing that could happen to these small towns is more development. 

New England may have the best Fall foliage in the country, but they don’t have the tall mountains that Colorado has. For this reason traveling The Million Dollar Highway during Autumn might be the second best option for fall foliage in the country. 

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