Getting Oriented

Southwest Colorado is the land beyond the interstates. Old mining roads, legacies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when gold and silver mining was ascendant, lead through drop-dead-gorgeous mountain valleys and rugged high country. Much of this part of the state is designated as a wilderness area, which means that no roads may be built and no wheeled or motorized vehicles are permitted. A federal road known as U.S. 550 or the Million Dollar Highway corkscrews over Red Mountain Pass, around cliff-hugging turns and without the benefit of guardrails. While backcountry roads demand four-wheel-drive vehicles in summer and snowmobiles in winter, regular roads are no problem for passenger cars.