Cupcake and I had an amazing time recently driving the Million Dollar Highway from Durango to Ouray, Colorado! The views are incredible, but keep your eyes on the road! We did the drive in June, but there was still lots of snow visible (at high elevations) so I can’t even imagine doing the drive in the winter!
Starting from Durango, Colorado, you’ll drive north on Highway 550 (the Million Dollar Highway) and very quickly you’ll find Honeyville and tons of honey related items! We stopped by the store and Cupcake bought lots of treats and souvenirs! It’s definitely a fun visit! A few miles further up the road you’ll see the Pinkerton Hot Springs, and it’s literally just off the road!!!
Silverton, Colorado
The views get more and more amazing as you drive north, and soon you’ll reach Silverton, Colorado. This beautiful little town was established in 1874 and is located at an elevation of 9,318 feet, making it one of the highest towns in the US! We had a delicious lunch at Kendall Mountain Cafe and loved our walk around this interesting town!
Driving north from Silverton, the road gets a little more treacherous. There aren’t many guardrails on the highway, so be careful! They caused issues when it was time to remove snow from the road, so they were taken away. There are amazing sights all along this drive, but take your time and pull over as needed!
Ouray, Colorado
Eventually, you’ll arrive in Ouray, Colorado, one of the most beautiful towns you’ll every see. Known as “Switzerland of the US”, this town was named after Chief Ouray, a leader of the Tabegauche (Uncompahre) band of Ute Indians in Colorado in the late 19th century.
There is plenty of shopping, restaurants, history and more, so plan on visiting here for a full day! Also, Cascade Falls is beautiful!
I tried to keep our video fairly short (under 8 minutes), but still give you a good idea of what you can see on this fun and interesting drive!
