US 550 · USA

Million Dollar Highway

US 550 through the San Juan Mountains of south-west Colorado, from Ouray through the Uncompahgre Gorge and over Red Mountain Pass to Silverton.

StartFinishHairpin

37.8 kmLength

149Pace-note calls

12Hairpins

20Tight corners (1–2)

↑1,000 ↓550Climb and drop, m

≈3,390 mHighest point

Counts are from Turini’s pace-note engine on this route. Heights come from terrain data and can differ from signposted figures by a few tens of metres.

Where is the Million Dollar Highway?

The Million Dollar Highway is in the USA, on US 550. The route on this page: Ouray to Silverton, over Red Mountain Pass, 37.8 km.

Why the Million Dollar Highway is famous

Strictly, the name belongs to the twelve miles south of Ouray through the gorge to the top of Red Mountain Pass: steep cliffs, narrow lanes, hairpins and hardly any guardrails.

Million Dollar Highway hairpins

Over 37.8 km Turini calls 12 hairpins, 2 square corners and 123 corners graded 1 to 6, plus 4 crests and 4 dips. That is 149 calls in all, one every 254 metres on average. Grade 1 is the tightest, 6 is nearly straight (how to read pace notes).

HP12

218

322

428

524

629

Million Dollar Highway elevation profile

From 2,376 m at the start to 2,837 m at the finish, with a highest point of about 3,390 m. Red marks are the hairpins.

3,400 m2,300 m

0 km18.9 km37.8 km

Million Dollar Highway pace notes, first few km

The first 25 calls, exactly as Turini reads them, with the distance from the start.

10 mSquare right

70 mSquare left

85 mTarmac

510 mRight 2 long tightens

835 mLeft 2 very long

1.06 kmRight 4

1.23 kmLeft 6

1.51 kmLeft 5 long

1.75 kmRight 2 very long

1.95 kmLeft 4

2.06 kmRight 4 long

2.27 kmLeft 2 very long

2.68 kmRight 5

2.85 kmLeft 6

3.23 kmRight 3

3.33 kmLeft 5

3.44 kmRight 3

3.55 kmLeft 2

3.65 kmRight 3 opens

3.73 kmLeft 3

3.77 kmRight 4

4.17 kmTunnel

4.50 kmLeft 2

4.62 kmRight 3 very long opens

4.64 kmBridge

That takes you to 4.64 km. 124 more calls follow over the remaining 33.1 km.

Before you drive the Million Dollar Highway

Kept open all year, but snow often closes it for periods in winter.

There are long drops without barriers on the gorge section, so take it slowly. Silverton sits at 9,320 ft, and the pass is higher still.

How to drive the Million Dollar Highway with Turini

Set the route before you leave and Turini saves its notes on the phone, so it works with the screen off and no signal. On the road it reads each call about 4.5 seconds before the corner, timed to your speed, and you never touch the phone. It also works through Android Auto. If pace notes are new to you, start in Simple mode (Easy, Medium, Hard) and switch to the 1–6 scale once it feels natural.

Always drive within the law, the conditions and what you can see. Turini tells you what the map says; the road is what counts.

More roads like the Million Dollar Highway

Beartooth HighwayUSA49.4 km · 127 calls · 11 hairpins

Angeles Crest HighwayUSA42.4 km · 183 calls

Pacific Coast Highway, Big SurUSA37.9 km · 85 calls

Best driving roads in the USA · All famous roads · How to read pace notes

Sources: Wikipedia: Million Dollar Highway.

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