Co. highway 550 south

Tom/Barb wrote:
Grand Junction south to Durango on 550, any one done it in a 40' coach?

US 50 from Grand Junction to Montrose; no problem. 4 lane the entire way.

US 550 Montrose to Ridgway to Ouray, no problem 4 lane for part of it, good 2 lane in to Ouray.

US 550 Ouray to Silverton to Durango; NOT RECOMMENDED for your rig combo (MH and toad). It's a very narrow road, no guard rails, significant drops offs, hairpin curves on the stretch from Ouray south to Silverton. Yes, there are folks who do it. Yes, there are folks who regret it. Yes, there are folks who say there's nothing to it.

Google "US 550" or "Million Dollar Highway". Or query the same on Youtube. OR, go to the roads/routes section here and query the same things and you'll get a LOT of responses to make an informed decision about whether it's something you want to tackle.

Alternative/generally recommended route is to take CO 62 west from Ridgway to CO 145, which heads south toward Telluride, then continues over Lizard Head Pass (relatively easy, comparatively speaking) and drops down to Dolores and Cortez. From there, you can take US 160 east to Durango. If you have time, Mesa Verde NP is outside of Cortez and well worth the time.

ETA: Just saw your other post regarding Mesa Verde. While the park is open year round, many facilities are not. And as posters in the other post stated, if you can wait til after April 1, more will be open. Since March and April are Colorado's snowiest months, expect to run in to some adverse weather. Mesa Verde can be better appreciated more into May and the summer months.

Thom02099 wrote:

Tom/Barb wrote:
Grand Junction south to Durango on 550, any one done it in a 40' coach?

US 50 from Grand Junction to Montrose; no problem. 4 lane the entire way.

US 550 Montrose to Ridgway to Ouray, no problem 4 lane for part of it, good 2 lane in to Ouray.

US 550 Ouray to Silverton to Durango; NOT RECOMMENDED for your rig combo (MH and toad). It's a very narrow road, no guard rails, significant drops offs, hairpin curves on the stretch from Ouray south to Silverton. Yes, there are folks who do it. Yes, there are folks who regret it. Yes, there are folks who say there's nothing to it.

Google "US 550" or "Million Dollar Highway". Or query the same on Youtube. OR, go to the roads/routes section here and query the same things and you'll get a LOT of responses to make an informed decision about whether it's something you want to tackle.

Alternative/generally recommended route is to take CO 62 west from Ridgway to CO 145, which heads south toward Telluride, then continues over Lizard Head Pass (relatively easy, comparatively speaking) and drops down to Dolores and Cortez. From there, you can take US 160 east to Durango. If you have time, Mesa Verde NP is outside of Cortez and well worth the time.

ETA: Just saw your other post regarding Mesa Verde. While the park is open year round, many facilities are not. And as posters in the other post stated, if you can wait til after April 1, more will be open. Since March and April are Colorado's snowiest months, expect to run in to some adverse weather. Mesa Verde can be better appreciated more into May and the summer months.

As is usually the case Thom has summed it up well, but I'll add a couple of thoughts.

First the alternate - 62 - 145 - 160 is a beautiful drive, if you love to drive the roads of Colorado, so it's not like you will be on an un-enjoyable drive, (back in the old days we would take that route over to the town of Dunton, which is now a tourist trap/condo), but just a easy fun drive.

If you are comfortable with driving in the mountains then you might enjoy 550, if you choose to take the alternate I would suggest you take a day and just drive it, 550 - both down and back, so as to see it, at least in the Toad.

The reason I give a little more detailed explanation is that I once advised someone to go around and that it might be too much for him, long and short saw him a year later and he said he loved the drive on 550 and say no reason to ever avoid it, so we are all different.

So moral of the story - stay comfortable in your level of mountain driving, both routes are IMHO - are Fun- and both routes should be driven at some point in time, either in the Coach or in the Toad or both.

JMHO,

DON'T DO IT!!! I drove that route once many years ago. It was later listed in the TV program Most Dangerous Highways. Even thinking about that road makes my knuckles turn white and hurt again.
Head on over to the 25 and come around. Lots to see and do along the way. If you have a toad take the highway from Durango to Ouray, a lovely drive in a car.

Has an rv ever gone over the side (steep drop offs and no guard rails area) and into the river/creek?
I know a few snow plows have.
Pat

550 south of Ouray is undergoing significant repairs -- very long delays. Don't know when they will finish. The mountain is crumbling under the roadway -- it is soft sedimentary rock. I guess when they first built that road, they took it for granite. ;)

Having driven that road a few times last September, I would not want to take a big rig on it. It can be done, but you have to be very careful on the hairpin turns -- you will cross over the center line. Going over the cliff edge is not likely, unless you lose control of the vehicle.

I lived in CO and have driven the Million Dollar Hwy (Hwy 550) many times. Never with an RV.

Simple - do NOT do it with an RV! The road (or lack of shoulder for) is testy enough but you have not control over the guy coming the other way who takes his half out of the middle and you have no place to go with your rig.

Do what my friend, Thom, says (we did it 4 times with our rig last summer / fall).

Yes, we've driven it multiple times with our 40' motorhome. Of course, we love mountain driving and we love staying in Silverton.

Bottom line is if you're comfortable with mountain driving as described (correctly), there's no reason you shouldn't drive it. Lots of rv's and semis use it. If you're not comfortable, don't. Do try to take the toad at least; gorgeous scenery not to be missed.

North to South has a lot of no guard rails, but the speed limit is 25 stick to it. If you cant stand to look out the window and not see the bottom, then DO NOT take it. There are a few 15mph hair pen turns as you approach Red Mt Pass other than that it is a beautiful drive.