San Juan Skyway - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 431

3. Silverton
From Molas Pass the Skyway drops sharply into the town of Silverton, strikingly set
betweenhighmountainwalls.Accordingtolocallore,thetownwasnamedbyaminerwho
once exclaimed, “We may not have gold here, but we have silver by the ton.”
The quaint streets of Silverton are lined with historic relics—the gold-domed county
courthouse, once-elegant hotels such as the Grand Imperial, and a former red-light district
where locals stage mock gunfights on summer evenings. At nearby Hillside Cemetery,
perched above town, grave markers tell of young men who lost their lives in mining disas-
ters.
4. Million Dollar Highway
From Silverton the Skyway climbs to Red Mountain Pass, the highest point on the tour at
11,099 feet. The breathtaking view from here takes in Bear Mountain, so named because
its contours resemble a giant bear licking a honeycomb.
A portion of the road between Silverton and Ouray is known as the Million Dollar
Highway.Builtbetween1880and1920,theoldtollroadservedasamail,stage,andfreight
route to connect the bustling mining towns between Silverton and Ouray. Depending on
whomyouask,thehighwaywasnamedfortheamountofgoldandsilverminedinthearea,
the value of the low-grade ore tailings used to pave the road, the cost of the construction,
or the rewarding views.
Despite the splendid scenery, motorists should definitely keep their eyes on the road
along this stretch of the Skyway: It threads a narrow, two-lane path around precipitous
slopes—without the benefit of guardrails. The pass is open year-round and is still a major
freightrouteforsouthernColorado.Duringthewintermonths,stormscandumpsignificant
amounts of snow along the route, and drivers should be prepared for winter driving condi-
tions. Local road crews close the road for a few hours during heavy snowstorms and fire
cannons to trigger slides, which they then plow away. Visitors in the valleys are treated to
a rumbling sound, like distant thunder, announcing that somewhere a controlled slide is on
the move.