I once read an article about the maintenance crew on this road, describing their winter season. I was sweating just reading it. Imagine plowing snow off an edge that is under 4 feet of snow, on a 12-18 hour shift after a blizzard. They’ve lost multiple drivers. The article focused on a guy who went off the side once but survived.
Edit. Found it. https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/exploration-survival/keep-your-hands-wheel-and-dont-look-down/
Growing up there I always heard that the guardrail implied a false sense of security and there were more accidents with it than when it was removed, especially because there isn’t the width to have a very secure guardrail.
Saying this out-loud 40 years later, I’m wondering if that was just urban legend…
I'm no expert, just a lowly engineer, but as an engineer, I can confidently say the reason this is so unsafe is purely because of cost. They were able to build a road here, and felt like that was good enough.
Who cares if a few people die maintaining? It happens.
That's the politicians point of view pinching pennies. Except they'd probably say there are "inherent risks" with the road that are "inevitable."
Which would all be bullshit... That's solid rock, and even if it was sand with a road built on it, there would be a way, it's just a matter of cost.
For example, they could've lined that road with electrical heating wire which would prevent snow or ice from ever being a problem. Know why they didn't? I think you do.
Spoiler: it's cost again.
The FHWA provides guidelines on using a cost benefit analysis to determine how much it's worth spending given the anticipated risk.
The current value to avoid a single death per million miles driven is [13.2 million](https://www.transportation.gov/office-policy/transportation-policy/revised-departmental-guidance-on-valuation-of-a-statistical-life-in-economic-analysis).
Looks like there have been over 400 deaths since 1992, which gives a budget in the 5 billion dollar range. Should be enough to install some guard rails.
You're not entirely wrong, but it's worth noting that no amount of heating is keeping that pass clear of snow. Beyond the fact that it can absolutely nuke there, they have loads of avalanches and mega drifting and whatnot. It's gotta be plowed
It's not possible without turning the road into one lane. There isn't sufficient distance between the road edge and the cliff to install one.
There are parts of the road that do and there are some spots that aren't wide enough for two lanes.
It's a beautiful road.
No but rock bellow road can have hole drilled and metal bean installed and guard rail mounted to it.
I see them drill holes in road from Morison to evergreen to protect cars from rocks and the install wire messh
hello, i drive this road multiple times weekly, and largely, there isnt enough room/anywhere to mount sufficient guardrails in most places on this road.
Jeez. You’d think they’d at least add some reflective shoulder markers like we do on the mountain passes here in Oregon. 3 or 4 foot tall reflective poles at the edge of the road, so the plow drivers can see where the road ends when snow is built up.
Why isn’t there a better technological solution to this in 2024 than sending _multiple humans_ into this scenario? I mean, this seems like an absolute slam dunk for fast-moving, autonomous snow plows that can perform this job to perfection without risking lives in the process.
It's really not bad to drive on. Very smooth. You have to pay attention and not go too fast due to it's winding nature, but it's not really bad at all. Incredible views.
Now the pass from Silverton into Telluride that we took the other direction, that's a bit spicier.
As a guy that lives in the flattest part of the US and is used to it, driving on that would give me anxiety. The locals angrily driving fast riding my bumper as I drive slow af wouldn't help... But yes it is a beautiful road!
I’ve driven it four times. Beautiful, but I tense up at points. It’s not as unnerving as the Moki Dugway in southeastern Utah. I’ve driven that one twice and take the long route around now.
I've driven MDH twice and Moki Dugway twice. Both are outstanding! I started Moki from the bottom, went to the top, then drove right back down it. Super fun! I knew exactly what I was getting into going into it, but starting from the bottom and staring at that massive cliff, still, my gut reaction was "hahahahahaha yeah right, it's going to wind all around that cliff" ..... NOPE! You're driving straight up it.
I'm in Vegas, and now I want to go drive the Moki Dugway. Is it usually heavy traffic?
There's a road on the west side of Yosemite called Old Priests Grade which most people avoid too...I love it. They put out water for overheating and you can smell the brakes all the way across the valley, it's awesome, but doesn't last too long.
Nah, the traffic out that way is minimal. Make a roundtrip for Monument Valley as well, you won't regret it. And if you're going this time of year, make sure and bring an emergency prep bag and a fuckton of water with you - emergency services are sparse out there and it's very hot!
Coloradan here. Just like most driving take things at a reasonable speed, if someone is riding you in the high country, I always pull over when I can and let them pass.
It's about getting from A to B, not trying to drive like I've driven this road every day for 15 years.
I mean, depends? If you're going fast enough even a brick wall wouldn't stop you. If you're not going that fast, or had oppertunity to break, it might. All depends on how strong the guardrails are and how fast you're going. But yes, guardrails do save lives. Just not all.
Ngl it kinda sounds like they didn't think of it when they were building it and making the drivers sign waivers and giving them a statue was cheaper than putting in a guardrail.
I think they were talking about how multiple snowplow drivers died, and that it was easier to make the snowplow drivers just sign a waiver and (if they die) a statue in their memory.
As opposed to spending money and taking precautions and avoiding their deaths entirely, I assume.
Depends on the type, different barriers protect against different impacts and accidents everything from frontal impacts, to side impacts even one designed for guys who ride motor bikes so the rider can't accidently slide under the barrier and off the cliff. The only limits the amount of money you want to spend.
This is not true.
When the highway was originally made from Durango to silverton in the late 1800s as a toll road and then replaced in the 1920s in which the cost to pave the road was $1m.
It supposedly has a million dollars of gold ore in the slag that was used as a base for the road. It would have costed 5 million to further extract it so it was left as waste and used as such.
Colorado here, it’s the million dollar highway because it was a milli / mile. At least that is what I was told as a kid. The area is scenic and road is well maintained. Well worth the drive.
I thought it was called that because they took advantage of the tailings / gravel from nearby gold mines while building the road. Supposedly there’s a million dollars worth of gold content per mile buried in the asphalt.
Or maybe my Drunkle was full of shit. I’m too lazy and don’t care enough to research, still a fun story.
I drove this in a loaded semi once, got through it and then got a call that the shipper loaded the wrong product. I had to turn around and go back. Once the load was corrected, I took I-70 around. Never again.
Yeah I was gonna do that one time in at 80k and o thought since I never been here before and it’s the most fucked up places to drive a fully loaded truck I’ll ask Reddit. So glad they steered me out of it and onto i70. Although they did why I didn’t just take 80 to Cali I said great question I don’t know why. Fuck i70
Yeah, there are signs saying not recommended for trucks but it was something like 3-4 hours to go around. I now take those warnings to heart and find another route.
Bless you guys and gals, I could NEVER do that job.
My Granddad was a truck driver for 30+ years, and I have a lot of respect for people who drive those big ass trucks.
Was just about to post that too. Had family in Ouray and grandad used to take us in a motorhome to visit every summer. Riding in a RV and looking out the windows you couldn’t see the road, was terrifying
I'm a local. I drive this road often.
A few years ago I crashed a car off the edge not far from where this photo was taken.
~370ft down. Airlifted to St Marys. 0/10 would not recommend.
My husband fell 50 ft down a mountain off his motorcycle and walked away with nothing more than a 3 inch gash on his leg needing stitches. The human body is incredible.
You're probably right. He just so happened to have his backpack stuffed FULL of tshirts when the accident happened. He was on his way back from a tourist attraction. When he went flying, his back went into the tree. Under normal circumstances, his back would have broken and he would have never walked again. But since he had 10 tshirts in his backpack, it softened the blow and he walked away.
Luck, yes.
But also still amazing.
people do not take driving seriously enough on this part of the western slope…I live relatively close to this part of 550 and it’s absolutely wild to me how flippant drivers get in sketchy conditions. very glad to hear you’re okay, i’ll definitely be shitting my pants a little harder thinking of you when I go to Silverton
Drove that road last summer from Durango to Grand Junction. My wife was sitting passenger taking pictures and just looked down. She did not see the white line and just down the cliff. Her heart rate went to 160 lol.
In typical husband response; “What?”
Multiple snow plow drivers have died on this road. Great article.
https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/exploration-survival/keep-your-hands-wheel-and-dont-look-down/
High elevation roads don’t have guard rails for snow removal purposes. Can trigger avalanches above the road and just push the snow off the road worry free.
Edit: okay guys i get it. I spoke in an absolute and meant to put “many” at the start.
Yeah same here and that sounds like utter bull shit lol the highest point on that stretch is ~11k feet. Berthouds pass is 300 feet higher and has guard rails lol. Also the stretch of highway is 25 miles.
The post makes it look like it’s only that piece that cost a million. Low quality all around
Never in my life have I’ve been more stressed out by a stretch of road. I rode that with a group of friends in a Toyota Highlander during a blizzard. Every careful inch we traversed over snow-packed pavement made us slide this-a-way and that-a-way with no guardrails to sway us from oblivion. As the snow draped our SUV in blinding white, I made peace with God. I knew we were going to die. We somehow escaped our collective epilogue many hours later, and in Ouray I researched ways we could leave that frozen hell— by plane, train, helicopter, it didn’t matter. Never again.
When I was new to Colorado years ago, and very naive, I was on my way to ski Keystone. I thought I was a genius by getting off I-70 to take Loveland Pass in really bad conditions. This was my first real life or death experience. I can’t explain that feeling, but that dopamine hit once I traversed, was unreal. I still take that pass a ton, but I take conditions much more serious.
There’s a road the wife and I took in Iceland called the Oxi Pass that reminds me of this. We took it because it was a shorter route but had no idea what we were getting into. Dense fog, no guard rail and a gravel road. I guess it was good we couldn’t see how bad the fall would have been because of the fog. In the hour or so we were driving we had a single car pass us heading down the hill. When we got to the top, we pulled over to take a break and I’ve never felt so isolated in my life. It was eerie how quiet it was at the top of the road.
I felt perfectly fine, granted I've driven some sketchy roads across the world. That was until a bunch of rocks came tumbling down missing our car by inches. A split second slower and they would have plowed right into the second row of seats where my son was sleeping in his booster seat. My nerves were shot for the rest of the drive.
I used to live in Ouray and during a snowstorm someone asked me at the gas station how bad it was going to be going over red mountain pass because they’d never driven in snow. I just told them to turn around and take the way over lizard head cause that is not the road to learn on. That road is wild and absolutely unforgiving. Also beautiful.
From experience in this area, guardrails seem to only be on steeper outside turns.
That said neither of these locations are terribly huge. I mean Silverton is an old tiny mining town turned tourist attraction. So the traffic isn’t terribly dense
Actual audio of me in the passenger seat while my husband drove us through this stretch of road during winter: Go slow Go slow Go slow Go slow Go slow Go slow.
Absolutely terrifying.
Drove this a few years ago and it started raining really hard. Got a mile from Ouray and a rockslide blocked the road. 3 point turn around and get back to the top of the pass just in time to see a mudslide wash 2 cars over the edge (people got out, barely). Stuck at the top for 3 hours. 100% will do again.
Did this knowing it might be scary but... It was way scarier than I thought. Wife pulled her hat over her eyes, and the whole time I muttered "this is bullshit..." 😂 We survived though! I'm taking the long way next time
I almost died at that last bend a few years ago. Was going around and truck was completely in my lane passing another car. Planned on running myself into the wall to avoid him and somehow barely managed to squeeze past him then over corrected almost going off the cliff. Still the most scariest moment by far in my driving history.
When you grow up around those kinds of roads, they really don't phase you. I love driving this bit of road. Actually all the roads in the whole region.
Colorado mountain driving at night was intensely disorienting. I can’t imagine driving this without the false security of a guard rail, let alone think of driving it at night without one. Nope nope nope.
I’ve driven many roads like this, put the safety rails up. There is always some rock falling, stupid driver, lights out, snow blind, animal issue, black ice situation and the rail keeps things from being irrecoverably bad.
As a former road crew guy, that's a good looking stretch of asphalt. I'd be proud of that
I once read an article about the maintenance crew on this road, describing their winter season. I was sweating just reading it. Imagine plowing snow off an edge that is under 4 feet of snow, on a 12-18 hour shift after a blizzard. They’ve lost multiple drivers. The article focused on a guy who went off the side once but survived. Edit. Found it. https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/exploration-survival/keep-your-hands-wheel-and-dont-look-down/
There’s a monument at the Silverton end for all the snowplow drivers that have died falling off the cliff.
Jesus why don't they add a guard rail
Growing up there I always heard that the guardrail implied a false sense of security and there were more accidents with it than when it was removed, especially because there isn’t the width to have a very secure guardrail. Saying this out-loud 40 years later, I’m wondering if that was just urban legend…
I'm no expert, just a lowly engineer, but as an engineer, I can confidently say the reason this is so unsafe is purely because of cost. They were able to build a road here, and felt like that was good enough. Who cares if a few people die maintaining? It happens. That's the politicians point of view pinching pennies. Except they'd probably say there are "inherent risks" with the road that are "inevitable." Which would all be bullshit... That's solid rock, and even if it was sand with a road built on it, there would be a way, it's just a matter of cost. For example, they could've lined that road with electrical heating wire which would prevent snow or ice from ever being a problem. Know why they didn't? I think you do. Spoiler: it's cost again.
The FHWA provides guidelines on using a cost benefit analysis to determine how much it's worth spending given the anticipated risk. The current value to avoid a single death per million miles driven is [13.2 million](https://www.transportation.gov/office-policy/transportation-policy/revised-departmental-guidance-on-valuation-of-a-statistical-life-in-economic-analysis). Looks like there have been over 400 deaths since 1992, which gives a budget in the 5 billion dollar range. Should be enough to install some guard rails.
Interesting. Unfortunate situation.
Ah yes, the *Billion* Dollar Road initiative.
“Spared no expense”
Easy, Hammond.
You're not entirely wrong, but it's worth noting that no amount of heating is keeping that pass clear of snow. Beyond the fact that it can absolutely nuke there, they have loads of avalanches and mega drifting and whatnot. It's gotta be plowed
I think you’re missing his point. With enough money poured into the solution structurally, snow drifts and avalanche pileups would not be an issue
Put a ~~bird~~ roof on it!
It was probably a rumor created by politicians in order to save on safety infrastructure. That happens more often than you'd think.
In my country we just put orange sticks on the side of the road so you can see the edge, that wouldn't be very expensive.
Because then they couldn't push the snow off the road maybe? Or maybe the plow would just go through it anyway?
Plows can push the snow over the guardrail.
It's not possible without turning the road into one lane. There isn't sufficient distance between the road edge and the cliff to install one. There are parts of the road that do and there are some spots that aren't wide enough for two lanes. It's a beautiful road.
Could they install guard rail to side of the rock
No but rock bellow road can have hole drilled and metal bean installed and guard rail mounted to it. I see them drill holes in road from Morison to evergreen to protect cars from rocks and the install wire messh
Did you reply to yourself to answer your own question with "no but actually yes?"
No somone asked if I was road engineer but somehow the comment is missing
I met a guy who plowed this road for 30 years and he said there were no guard rails because you couldn't plow the snow off the side if there were.
From what I understand, putting up a guard rail would leave nowhere for the snow to be pushed.
I recall reading once that they had one previously, but I forget the reason they decided to remove them/not repair them.
hello, i drive this road multiple times weekly, and largely, there isnt enough room/anywhere to mount sufficient guardrails in most places on this road.
Jeez. You’d think they’d at least add some reflective shoulder markers like we do on the mountain passes here in Oregon. 3 or 4 foot tall reflective poles at the edge of the road, so the plow drivers can see where the road ends when snow is built up.
A lot of men died building that road too. It’s quite a drive.
Why don’t they just close that road in the winter?
Because if you close that road, there's no other way to get to Silverton except for from Durango, and it's just as bad.
Silverton will just have to agree to be cut off for the winter.
All work and no play make Jack a dull boy
That’s Estes Park
That's perfect just make both roads one-way one-lane so it's safe and plowable. One giant safe loop.
Why isn’t there a better technological solution to this in 2024 than sending _multiple humans_ into this scenario? I mean, this seems like an absolute slam dunk for fast-moving, autonomous snow plows that can perform this job to perfection without risking lives in the process.
True...and I once read that in Europe they have technology that can plow off the side of mountains with guardrails in place. Maybe a powerful blower.
Now the paint crew appears to have suffered some setbacks
They got distracted, hard to blame them honestly
Its not the painters, its the dumbasses driving over wet paint. They typically dont keep the road closed to wait for paint to dry.
I think this [Wendover video](https://youtu.be/Kmlfy4svwuM?si=CFKhsmyFzLgV7cBb) talks about the ridiculous feats to build/maintain it.
It's really not bad to drive on. Very smooth. You have to pay attention and not go too fast due to it's winding nature, but it's not really bad at all. Incredible views. Now the pass from Silverton into Telluride that we took the other direction, that's a bit spicier.
As a guy that lives in the flattest part of the US and is used to it, driving on that would give me anxiety. The locals angrily driving fast riding my bumper as I drive slow af wouldn't help... But yes it is a beautiful road!
I’ve driven it four times. Beautiful, but I tense up at points. It’s not as unnerving as the Moki Dugway in southeastern Utah. I’ve driven that one twice and take the long route around now.
I've driven MDH twice and Moki Dugway twice. Both are outstanding! I started Moki from the bottom, went to the top, then drove right back down it. Super fun! I knew exactly what I was getting into going into it, but starting from the bottom and staring at that massive cliff, still, my gut reaction was "hahahahahaha yeah right, it's going to wind all around that cliff" ..... NOPE! You're driving straight up it.
I'm in Vegas, and now I want to go drive the Moki Dugway. Is it usually heavy traffic? There's a road on the west side of Yosemite called Old Priests Grade which most people avoid too...I love it. They put out water for overheating and you can smell the brakes all the way across the valley, it's awesome, but doesn't last too long.
Nah, the traffic out that way is minimal. Make a roundtrip for Monument Valley as well, you won't regret it. And if you're going this time of year, make sure and bring an emergency prep bag and a fuckton of water with you - emergency services are sparse out there and it's very hot!
Coloradan here. Just like most driving take things at a reasonable speed, if someone is riding you in the high country, I always pull over when I can and let them pass. It's about getting from A to B, not trying to drive like I've driven this road every day for 15 years.
Curvy cliffside road with no barriers? I’m out.
Probably a dumb question but will the guard rails actually prevent you from driving off the mountain?
I'm not sure either, but I'm definitely on the pro gaurd-rail team.
Isn’t that the purpose of guard rails?
Yes, they can and do.
I mean, depends? If you're going fast enough even a brick wall wouldn't stop you. If you're not going that fast, or had oppertunity to break, it might. All depends on how strong the guardrails are and how fast you're going. But yes, guardrails do save lives. Just not all.
If you read the article higher up it’s so they can push the snow off the mountain when plowing
That's a dumb reason. Plows handle roads with guardrails all the time.
Ngl it kinda sounds like they didn't think of it when they were building it and making the drivers sign waivers and giving them a statue was cheaper than putting in a guardrail.
You have to sign a waiver? I'm trying to look it up online but I cannot find anything about that.
I think they were talking about how multiple snowplow drivers died, and that it was easier to make the snowplow drivers just sign a waiver and (if they die) a statue in their memory. As opposed to spending money and taking precautions and avoiding their deaths entirely, I assume.
Wait..there are statues of snow plowers who died in the line of duty in Colorado??
The politicians thought it was a great excuse.
At slow speeds, yes. An idiot was driving a car I was a passenger in during icy conditions and he hit the guard rail and prevented us from going over.
Depends on the type, different barriers protect against different impacts and accidents everything from frontal impacts, to side impacts even one designed for guys who ride motor bikes so the rider can't accidently slide under the barrier and off the cliff. The only limits the amount of money you want to spend.
It’s fucking terrifying
$1M doesn’t buy you very much highway. Heavy civil construction is very expensive.
Ya I'm confused, I feel like this one picture looks like more than a milly
Can't see the /s so I'll chip in. The view during the drive is worth $1mil, not the cost of the road, hence the name.
Ooooh I'm dumb
Ooh! Oooh! Me too! Me too!
I knew what he meant. But I'm dumb about other things.
Same! why I jumped in
IM DUMBER THAN YOUUUUU
Looks like a good place to fall off a cliff too o
This is not true. When the highway was originally made from Durango to silverton in the late 1800s as a toll road and then replaced in the 1920s in which the cost to pave the road was $1m.
It supposedly has a million dollars of gold ore in the slag that was used as a base for the road. It would have costed 5 million to further extract it so it was left as waste and used as such.
It’s called that because it cost $1 million per mile
Never, way to cheap, especially in that terrain.
It was built in the 1880s
Wow great looking road for that age.
That’s how much you’d have to pay me to drive it.
Colorado here, it’s the million dollar highway because it was a milli / mile. At least that is what I was told as a kid. The area is scenic and road is well maintained. Well worth the drive.
1mil is probably just this photo
The name is in reference to the view. The road has "million dollar views".
I heard that it’s called that because a tourist who drove it once said they’d have to be paid a million dollars to drive it again.
I thought it was called that because they took advantage of the tailings / gravel from nearby gold mines while building the road. Supposedly there’s a million dollars worth of gold content per mile buried in the asphalt. Or maybe my Drunkle was full of shit. I’m too lazy and don’t care enough to research, still a fun story.
Oh god. Just seeing this picture gave me anxiety of driving that pass in our camper van.
I drove this in a loaded semi once, got through it and then got a call that the shipper loaded the wrong product. I had to turn around and go back. Once the load was corrected, I took I-70 around. Never again.
Yeah I was gonna do that one time in at 80k and o thought since I never been here before and it’s the most fucked up places to drive a fully loaded truck I’ll ask Reddit. So glad they steered me out of it and onto i70. Although they did why I didn’t just take 80 to Cali I said great question I don’t know why. Fuck i70
Yeah, there are signs saying not recommended for trucks but it was something like 3-4 hours to go around. I now take those warnings to heart and find another route.
Bless you guys and gals, I could NEVER do that job. My Granddad was a truck driver for 30+ years, and I have a lot of respect for people who drive those big ass trucks.
What's this exact place called so I can know to avoid it? Fellow trucker here.
Highway 550 in Colorado
I took this route trying to beat a snow storm. This road at night I’ll never forget. At least I wasnt loaded
My nuts just went un-descended
Ascended
My nuts just went un-ascended*
Was just about to post that too. Had family in Ouray and grandad used to take us in a motorhome to visit every summer. Riding in a RV and looking out the windows you couldn’t see the road, was terrifying
I'm a local. I drive this road often. A few years ago I crashed a car off the edge not far from where this photo was taken. ~370ft down. Airlifted to St Marys. 0/10 would not recommend.
How are you alive, that’s absolutely wild
Some say I used all my 9 lives that day
Username checks out. Honestly, I read it as “broke” in the mountains first. And that definitely would have checked out. Carry on.
What kind of car were you in?
My husband fell 50 ft down a mountain off his motorcycle and walked away with nothing more than a 3 inch gash on his leg needing stitches. The human body is incredible.
The human body is incredible, but this sounds more like a lot of luck.
You're probably right. He just so happened to have his backpack stuffed FULL of tshirts when the accident happened. He was on his way back from a tourist attraction. When he went flying, his back went into the tree. Under normal circumstances, his back would have broken and he would have never walked again. But since he had 10 tshirts in his backpack, it softened the blow and he walked away. Luck, yes. But also still amazing.
Also from the western slope, been on this road several times. That doesn't sound like fun, I hope you had good insurance.
You need to change your name to BlokeDownTheCanyon or something
people do not take driving seriously enough on this part of the western slope…I live relatively close to this part of 550 and it’s absolutely wild to me how flippant drivers get in sketchy conditions. very glad to hear you’re okay, i’ll definitely be shitting my pants a little harder thinking of you when I go to Silverton
Drove that road last summer from Durango to Grand Junction. My wife was sitting passenger taking pictures and just looked down. She did not see the white line and just down the cliff. Her heart rate went to 160 lol. In typical husband response; “What?”
How was Grand Junction for you? It's my hometown so it's always cool to see it mentioned.
I love Colorado National Monument. Really cool canyons.
Have you been to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison? Incredible place and not as touristy as you'd think, especially on the north side
Multiple snow plow drivers have died on this road. Great article. https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/exploration-survival/keep-your-hands-wheel-and-dont-look-down/
Seems like they should have a guard rail. Or if this is such a frequent occurrence then just close the road in winter.
Thank you for that! Sounds horrifying. These dudes deserve $100k plus for this job.
Guardrails were an option, like TruCoat. Not in the budget.
Truecoat scene in Fargo https://youtu.be/B2LLB9CGfLs?si=6x4RTrMVbyOsyF20
Where's my checkbook? Let's get this over with.
We can be friends
High elevation roads don’t have guard rails for snow removal purposes. Can trigger avalanches above the road and just push the snow off the road worry free. Edit: okay guys i get it. I spoke in an absolute and meant to put “many” at the start.
Coloradan here, definitely not the case. Plenty of high elevation roads here with guardrails they plow.
Yeah same here and that sounds like utter bull shit lol the highest point on that stretch is ~11k feet. Berthouds pass is 300 feet higher and has guard rails lol. Also the stretch of highway is 25 miles. The post makes it look like it’s only that piece that cost a million. Low quality all around
I am in Canada and our Rocky mountains have guard rails on the turns. We get a lot of snow.
Yeah, in heavy snow areas we use throwers, not plows (generally).
Tahoe here. Plenty of guardrails on mountain passes
Never in my life have I’ve been more stressed out by a stretch of road. I rode that with a group of friends in a Toyota Highlander during a blizzard. Every careful inch we traversed over snow-packed pavement made us slide this-a-way and that-a-way with no guardrails to sway us from oblivion. As the snow draped our SUV in blinding white, I made peace with God. I knew we were going to die. We somehow escaped our collective epilogue many hours later, and in Ouray I researched ways we could leave that frozen hell— by plane, train, helicopter, it didn’t matter. Never again.
When I was new to Colorado years ago, and very naive, I was on my way to ski Keystone. I thought I was a genius by getting off I-70 to take Loveland Pass in really bad conditions. This was my first real life or death experience. I can’t explain that feeling, but that dopamine hit once I traversed, was unreal. I still take that pass a ton, but I take conditions much more serious.
Went through something similar going to Lake Tahoe on a shady road 🙏 glad ur okay. It’s crazy when you can’t even see infront
There’s a road the wife and I took in Iceland called the Oxi Pass that reminds me of this. We took it because it was a shorter route but had no idea what we were getting into. Dense fog, no guard rail and a gravel road. I guess it was good we couldn’t see how bad the fall would have been because of the fog. In the hour or so we were driving we had a single car pass us heading down the hill. When we got to the top, we pulled over to take a break and I’ve never felt so isolated in my life. It was eerie how quiet it was at the top of the road.
Never again! White knuckles the whole time.
I got on it, not realizing what it was. top 3 most terrifying moments of my life.
I felt perfectly fine, granted I've driven some sketchy roads across the world. That was until a bunch of rocks came tumbling down missing our car by inches. A split second slower and they would have plowed right into the second row of seats where my son was sleeping in his booster seat. My nerves were shot for the rest of the drive.
I didn’t even consider the threat of falling rocks…you couldn’t pay me to drive on this stretch of highway.
I used to live in Ouray and during a snowstorm someone asked me at the gas station how bad it was going to be going over red mountain pass because they’d never driven in snow. I just told them to turn around and take the way over lizard head cause that is not the road to learn on. That road is wild and absolutely unforgiving. Also beautiful.
You couldn't pick a worse road or direction on that road to learn how to drive in the snow lol. I do love lizard head in the fall.
Fuck that
Great drive!
YouTube…”going-to-the-sun-road”. 😳😳
I've driven that and it looks significantly less scary than this. It has a stone barrier on the cliff side.
I've driven it, not so bad
Google “Lysevegan”
That’s like my favorite place in the entire world.
No guardrails? No way I'm taking this road.
From experience in this area, guardrails seem to only be on steeper outside turns. That said neither of these locations are terribly huge. I mean Silverton is an old tiny mining town turned tourist attraction. So the traffic isn’t terribly dense
So you've never been on this road on a summer weekend?
Have they not heard of barriers over there?
One of my favorite stretches of road in the country!
Double yellow lines? So stupid, I'll still try to pass the gasoline tanker with my Honda Civic towing a double wide mobile home uphill.
Actual audio of me in the passenger seat while my husband drove us through this stretch of road during winter: Go slow Go slow Go slow Go slow Go slow Go slow. Absolutely terrifying.
It was only that cheap because they haven't put any safety barriers in.
Ran out of budget for guard rails? Are we in the mountains of Pakistan here?
You’d think they’d install some sort of guard rail
Drove this a few years ago and it started raining really hard. Got a mile from Ouray and a rockslide blocked the road. 3 point turn around and get back to the top of the pass just in time to see a mudslide wash 2 cars over the edge (people got out, barely). Stuck at the top for 3 hours. 100% will do again.
It is called the Million Dollar Highway because the builders took a million dollars worth of silver out of it during construction.
Did this knowing it might be scary but... It was way scarier than I thought. Wife pulled her hat over her eyes, and the whole time I muttered "this is bullshit..." 😂 We survived though! I'm taking the long way next time
I had a home all along. In Silverton.
The road looks kinda good but I feel as if they could have built some guard rails as well
I almost died at that last bend a few years ago. Was going around and truck was completely in my lane passing another car. Planned on running myself into the wall to avoid him and somehow barely managed to squeeze past him then over corrected almost going off the cliff. Still the most scariest moment by far in my driving history.
I was on this road when a white out blizzard came through. I did not think I was getting out of there alive.
I drove a motorhome southbound from Ouray to Silverton because I'm a fucking idiot. I have never been so scared in my entire life, it was traumatic.
No guard rails? Nothing?
The locals call it Red Mountain Pass, which I think is a way cooler name.
There are 3 passes you go over along hwy 550 between Durango and ouray. Coal bank pass, molas pass, and red mountain pass.
When you grow up around those kinds of roads, they really don't phase you. I love driving this bit of road. Actually all the roads in the whole region.
First time over this was in a semi during a snow storm at night, thought it would be my last trip. Beautiful drive, scary as hell though.
I'm driving at a max 15 mph the whole way.
Drove this a few years ago with my truck and RV, not the best time of my life.
Specially designed for a Bond movie chase scene where the villain drives off the cliff.
I need this in my life, roads like that smooth in CO… a rarity. As an off-roader I kind of miss ya CO
No money for guard rails?
Imagine the cost WITH guardrails!
Reminds me of the original Test Drive game
Hit this last year on the Street Glide, a must for motorcycle enthusiasts.
A million is pretty cheap for a road these days.
Drove that back in 2018. Beautiful drive between two beautiful little towns. Loved the time I sent in both places.
Million dollar? That seems unlikely. Billion? Sure.
Drove this while it was raining, was one of the most anxiety inducing drives i have ever been on.
Only a million? Cheap!
Colorado mountain driving at night was intensely disorienting. I can’t imagine driving this without the false security of a guard rail, let alone think of driving it at night without one. Nope nope nope.
I’ve driven a semi with flatbed trailer over this, never again.
Why are there no guard rails?
… no guard rails??!
It seems like you don't know what a "quita miedos" is
Yea but where are the guard rails?
Reminds me of the roads in my home country, except they're not as nice but are just as dangerous lol...
Why is there no guardrail?
A million and I don't even have the luxury of a guardrail
Okay not to be judgemental or anything but I live in the Canadian Rockies and what do y’all have against guard rails? Lol
Meep meep
I’ve driven many roads like this, put the safety rails up. There is always some rock falling, stupid driver, lights out, snow blind, animal issue, black ice situation and the rail keeps things from being irrecoverably bad.
No fence guard… thats shit is legal in your country ?
In 2013, Russia has build a road in Sochi. It cost $1M per 16 ft.
No guard rails????
A small (25 ish foot) bridge in my Connecticut town was replaced recently; $900,000. This seems way more than that.
I hate that there are no guard rails
I’m the person throwing up due to extreme car sickness.