Colorado’s Most Dangerous Road Rated as State’s Best Road Trip

Are you ready to pile in the car and embark on a 25-mile journey considered by some to be Colorado's best road trip? It's just down the road on U.S. Route 550.

The website The Discoverer encourages you to "Discover the world's best destinations." The site recently published a list of each state in the union's best road trips. Here's a look at their pick for the best road trip in Colorado.

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Recommendations From 'The Discoverer'

The Discoverer official website's mission statement states, "We created the Discoverer with the goal of changing the way you discover Earth's most amazing destinations." The site periodically publishes articles detailing the best beaches, resorts, ski slopes, and in this case, road trips, to be found around the world.

The Discoverer's Pick For Colorado's Best Road Trip

One of the site's most recent articles details the best road trips to be found in each state in America. Smart money says you can guess Colorado's in an instant.

Their pick for the best road trip in Colorado is none other than the famous Million Dollar Highway. According to Durango.com, the Million Dollar Highway section of U.S. Highway 550 connects Ouray and Silverton, Colorado. Along the way, you'll find a number of small adventure towns and ghost-mining villages.

The Word From 'The Discoverer'

The Discoverer describes The Million Dollar Highway as "... a journey through time and nature."

The terrain is challenging, but the views are worth a million bucks — hence the road's name. Many people drive the Million Dollar Highway to earn bragging rights, but exploring the mountain towns of Ouray and Silverton are worth the trip alone too. - thediscoverer.com

In Addition To The Drive

The Discoverer mentions a couple of highlights along the journey including Box Canyon, the town of Ouray with its history and ice climbing park, the town of Silverton, and the geothermal heated mineral pools just outside of Ouray.

The Discoverer May Be A Bit Modest In Its Praise

While the Discoverer named The Million Dollar Highway the best road trip in Colorado, the website Dangerous Roads takes it a notch further. According to Dangerous Roads, the Million Dollar Highway is "...the most beautiful road of America."

It's one of the nation’s most spectacular drives. You'll be on the "outside" for a while with a hell of a view to your right (let the passenger look. You'll want to watch the road). Forget standard driving safety measures like guardrails and shoulders. - Dangerous Roads

 

If you plan to make this drive, you would be wise to give credence to the quote above. Those who designed this stretch of road must have been the same people who designed the sets on Star Wars. You won't find much in the way of railings or guard rails along this path.

Why Is It Called 'The Million Dollar Highway'?

There are several schools of thought when it comes to this question. Probably the more popular involves the construction cost. According to Durango.com, the construction of the road in the 1930s cost one million dollars per mile. Another theory suggests the name has to do with builders using gravel from the nearby gold and silver mines. The dirt was so rich with valuable minerals, it was worth a million dollars. A third theory mentions travelers affected by vertigo on the steep winding roads they vowed they would never travel the road again, not even for a million dollars.

Is It Time For a Road Trip?

According to The Discoverer, exploring by car allows you to "immerse yourself in the journey rather than hurrying to get to a specific destination. They add road trips are so popular in the United States, an estimated 50 million Americans embarked on such a journey in 2019.

Colorado's Million Dollar Highway may very well be the perfect road trip. The drive alone is worth it. Please note that at no time did anyone suggest the drive was easy. This is Colorado. Taking that into Colorado, the scenic drive, complemented by the historic towns and natural attractions, makes this The Discoverer's pick for the best road trip in America.