Conditions change by the hour at elevation — always check the agency's own status page before you drive.
PassOpenings

San Juan Skyway

Durango, Silverton, Ouray, Ridgway, Telluride and Cortez, southwest Colorado

A 236-mile loop through the San Juans that CDOT reckons at six hours of driving, linking Durango, Silverton, Ouray, Ridgway, Telluride, Dolores, Mancos and Cortez. The Ouray-to-Silverton leg of US 550 is the Million Dollar Highway; the rest is five million acres of national forest and the mesas above Cortez.

Does San Juan Skyway close in winter?

Open all year

The loop is a year-round highway — no gate closes it for the season, and CDOT keeps every leg plowed.

The Ouray-to-Silverton leg over Red Mountain Pass is the piece that shuts, for avalanche control and slide clearing, and a closure there breaks the loop until it reopens.

Conditions change by the hour on the high ground — check CDOT's status page before you drive. This page is trip-planning history, not road status.

The road itself

Designation
All-American Road
FHWA National Scenic Byways Program, 1996
Length
236 miles
about 6 hours of driving
High point
Red Mountain Pass
The top of the loop, on the Ouray-to-Silverton leg.

The highest level of federal designation, and one of thirteen America's Byways in Colorado.

The drive

  1. Durango

    The usual start, and home of the narrow-gauge railroad to Silverton.

  2. Silverton

    A Victorian mining town in a high basin.

  3. Ouray

    Reached over Red Mountain Pass on the Million Dollar Highway.

  4. Ridgway

    Where the loop turns west for Telluride.

  5. Telluride

    In its own box canyon under the peaks.

  6. Dolores and Mancos

    The quiet western side of the loop.

  7. Cortez

    The gateway to Mesa Verde National Park, and the turn back east for Durango.

What's on the road

  • Mesa Verde National Park sits on the loop, with one of the densest collections of prehistoric ruins in the country.
  • The road runs through five million acres of undisturbed national forest under peaks over 14,000 feet.
  • CDOT's own advice for the drive: be ready for summer afternoon thundershowers, and ask about road conditions in winter.

Nearby: Million Dollar Highway · Alpine Loop

San Juan Skyway is one of the roads on our scenic byway and seasonal road index — every road here, with its designation, length and winter in one table.

Where these facts come from

Last checked August 25, 2026.

San Juan Skyway: closing and opening questions

Does San Juan Skyway close in winter?
The loop is a year-round highway — no gate closes it for the season, and CDOT keeps every leg plowed.
What closes San Juan Skyway?
The Ouray-to-Silverton leg over Red Mountain Pass is the piece that shuts, for avalanche control and slide clearing, and a closure there breaks the loop until it reopens.
Is San Juan Skyway open right now?
This page is the road, not its condition this morning. Colorado Department of Transportation publishes the current state of San Juan Skyway, and that is the one to check before you drive.

Watching a spring trip? The opening watch board follows every road we keep a record for at once.