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.
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.
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