Million Dollar Highway

[DenverTransplant]

There's been discussion from time to time in the forum about traveling Colorado's Million Dollar Highway from Ouray to Silverton. Here's an article that might be of interest.

https://www.outtherecolorado.com/wha...ad27-173878649

[Chance]

Agree — beautiful road. Have driven it a few times in cars and RVs and recommend it as long as you’re not afraid of heights.

As mentioned in other threads, if in that Durango to Silverton area, may also want to take the narrow gauge train ride that parallels the highway. It’s spectacular.

[TurnerFam]

there's also another 'Million $ Highway', with a 'Million $ Falls campground' along the way, between Haines Junction, Yukon and Haines, AK... check out this view!...

[DenverTransplant]

Originally Posted by Chance

Agree — beautiful road. Have driven it a few times in cars and RVs and recommend it as long as you’re not afraid of heights.

As mentioned in other threads, if in that Durango to Silverton area, may also want to take the narrow gauge train ride that parallels the highway. It’s spectacular.

If you take the Durango and Silverton train, get the option to ride the bus back. It's a beautiful ride up, but a long, tedious and uncomfortable (those wooden seats are hard) on the way back. Going up it's all anticipation, but going back, its what you just saw. It's about 3 hours by the train and an hour by the bus. So unless you are devoted train rider, you will appreciate the bus ride back.

The time took the train, the bus was full and we rode the train back. Reservations in the summer and fall are necessities. By the time we bought tickets we could only get the regular car and no bus ride.

[Chance]

We’ve taken the train to Silverton twice, both times round trip. A third option is to stop about 1/2 way there for a picnic lunch and return to Durango. That was a very long time ago and don’t recall the details, other than train wasn’t going all the way to Silverton at that time.

Only thing I wish I could have done when younger was to race the train by riding bike on Million Dollar Highway. It’s a big annual event I had planned to do, but time got away from me.

[The Gritz Carlton]

Chance...there's still time...check out "juiced" e-bikes...almost ready to buy one. My better judgement is getting his ass kicked by my compulsive purchase disorder.

[Chance]

That’s like cheating.

I’m not sure how useful an electric bike would be since distance from Durango to Silverton is over 40 miles according to Google maps. And if I recall, there are two fairly high passes to cross, so may run out of juice before getting there. Not sure if those bikes have regen like electric cars to recharge on way down.

I think to beat the train, bikes have to finish in under 4 hours. That doesn’t seem like much except when you figure climbing elevation and pedaling at those high altitudes. It’s a lot tougher challenge than it sounds, specially for flat landers.

[The Gritz Carlton]

At my age, cheating is legal (except on the wife). The bikes have an optional rapid charge of 2 hours. Find a "friendly RVer" along the way running his generator and boom! They do somewhat charge when pedaling, and unlike my walk to school in the snow when I was a kid...The Million Dollar Highway is not uphill both ways. You could coast a lot of the time.

[Cason61]

Originally Posted by The Gritz Carlton

At my age, cheating is legal (except on the wife). The bikes have an optional rapid charge of 2 hours. Find a "friendly RVer" along the way running his generator and boom! They do somewhat charge when pedaling, and unlike my walk to school in the snow when I was a kid...The Million Dollar Highway is not uphill both ways. You could coast a lot of the time.

This year I went there, first we took the train D&S train, then went to Silverton to spend a couple of days there. Ain't no way at my age, I'm riding any kind of bicycle there. Sides that the elevation up there was too high. Confession time, we did use our handicap scooters to get around, but only if was like two blocks away. The campgrounds were pretty good in both places though.