San Juan Skyway

When you travel San Juan Skyway you will experience one of America’s most beautiful scenic drives. The “The Highway to The Sky,” is the great sampler of everything that the San Juan region of Southwestern Colorado has to offer.

On your trip to the top of Colorado, you will see gold mines, ghost towns, waterfalls and wildflowers, snowcapped peaks, historic railroads, river rafters, and fly fisherman.

Activities that are available to you along the San Juan Skyway:

Alpine skiing at world Class Resorts
Hot Air ballooning
Jeeping in the Backcountry
White water rafting
Soaking in Natural hot springs
Browse unique Shops and galleries
Sailplane soaring Above the Mountain tops
Explore Ancient Sandstone cities
Ride the historic Railroads
Follow the trails of the Spanish conquistadors

The skyway in The Fall

The towns along the Byway:

Telluride Colorado was once a gold and silver mining camp, now it is a world famous ski resort and a national historic district. It offers:

Free 13 minute Gondola Ride above the town
Authentic Victorian archecture
A main street of designer shops and galleries
Festival Capital of the Rockies
Bridal Veil Falls – The Tallest in Colorado
Site of Butch Cassidy’s first bank robbery
The first town to have electric power

From Telluride You travel along the Skyway pass scenic Trout Lake and over Lizard Head Pass to the small town on Dolores Colorado. this is the home of:

The Anasazi Heritage Center
McPhee Reservoir
The Galloping Goose Railroad Exhibit

Over the hill and intoCortez, Colorado This is Four Corners Country home of Mesa Verde National Park and A myriad of Indian arts And crafts.

The Durango Silverton Railroad

The Durango Silverton Narrow gauge Railroad
The downtown National Historic District
The Strater Hotel
Fort Lewis college

From Durango the Skyway travels over Coal Bank Hill (really a mountain) and the very beautiful Molas Divide (pictured on the banner logo for this website) to the old western town of Silverton Colorado Silverton offers:

A fun Tourist Town
Railhead for the railroad
False front stores lining Main Street
Old hundred Gold Mine Tour
Victorian Architecture

Next stop is Just over Red Mountain Pass and the Million Dollar Highway toOuray Colorado

Ouray Colorado Ouray is So beautiful that its nickname is “The Switzerland of the Rockies.” Ouray has:

The world’s first Ice Climbing Park
Box Canyon Fall
Natural Hot Springs Pools

Then down the road toRidgeway Colorado on the northern edge of the San Juan Mountain> Ridgeway is a quaint little village and the location for John Wayne’s movie western “True Grit.”

The San Juan Skyway is just a sampler of all the exciting fun you can have in southwestern Colorado.

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