Red Mountain Pass Summit
Red Mountain Pass tops out at 11,018 feet on US-550, the highest point of the Million Dollar Highway between Ouray and Silverton. The namesake rust-red iron-oxide peaks surrounding the summit — Red Mountains #1, #2, and #3 — are the product of hydrothermal alteration from historic silver mining. Scattered roadside pullouts north and south of the summit allow riders to stop among the ochre tailings and collapsed mine structures that spill down the hillside. No guardrails, no shoulder, and thousand-foot drop-offs make this the most photographed — and most discussed — few miles of pavement in Colorado.
Red Mountain Pass sits at 11,018 feet on US-550, the highest point along the Million Dollar Highway between Ouray and Silverton in the San Juan Mountains. The red color that defines this place is structural, not incidental — the surrounding peaks owe their rust and ochre tones to iron-oxide-laden rock, the byproduct of hydrothermal activity tied to the area's intensive silver mining history. From the saddle and the pullouts scattered north and south of the summit, riders can look across the slope and pick out headframes and the remnants of the Red Mountain Mining District, which saw a silver boom beginning in 1882 and ran well into the following decade.
The road itself deserves plain talk. Sections of the north side toward Ouray carry an 8% grade with switchbacks, minimal shoulders, and stretches with no guardrails — the absence of barriers is deliberate, so snowplows can push snow directly off the roadway. Rockslides, flash floods, and avalanche paths are documented hazards on this stretch. US-550 is generally kept open year-round but will close during heavy snowfall, and conditions can shift fast at elevation. Check road conditions before heading out, and treat any wet or low-visibility run with full attention.
There are no services or amenities at the summit itself. What's here is the view, the geology, and the physical context of a road carved into the cliff above Red Mountain Creek — the kind of place where pulling off and just standing in it for a few minutes makes the rest of the ride feel earned.
The most iconic stop on the Million Dollar Highway: 11,018 feet, blood-red peaks, crumbling mine ruins visible from the saddle, and the kind of drop-offs that get the adrenaline going before you've even twisted the throttle.
Shot by the riders who've run it.
Riders upload photos to their profile and tag the road or stop — tagged shots show up here automatically.