If this be Purgatory… - aspen outings in Colorado - includes trip planner to San Juan Skyway - Cover Story

Sunset, Sept, 1996 by Jeff Phillips

The 236-mile San Juan Skyway ranks among the West's most spectacular drives. Looping north from Durango, the road rings the rugged edges of the San Juan Mountains, a wild profusion of jagged, snow-etched peaks that pierce the clouds floating at 13,000 feet. Steep, winding, and narrow in places, the Skyway rambles well above 7,000 feet for most of its length, with no shortage of rangetop views as it climbs over four 10,000-foot-plus passes.

The sprawling groves of aspens growing between elevations of 7,500 and 10,000 feet are what make the San Juans such a good fall-color destination. Because the trees are distributed over such a wide vertical range, mountainsides can show the progression of the season. In most years (barring an early storm), the fall colors stretch from mid-September, when stands on high ridges begin to turn yellow, to as late as mid-October, when sheltered, lower-elevation groves lose the last of their leaves.

Heading north from Durango on U.S. Highway 550, climb past Purgatory Ski Area to 10,640-foot Coalbank Pass. Three miles beyond the pass is a turnoff to Old Lime Creek Road, a graded dirt road most passenger cars can negotiate if it's dry.

This detour (which loops 11 miles back to the Skyway above Purgatory) winds down through aspen stands on open hillsides to Lime Creek, where you can spread a picnic and get in some fishing. The steep climb back to a point just above Purgatory is worth it for the deep canyon views; once you rejoin the highway, it's 21 more miles to Silverton.

Tucked into a high mountain valley surrounded by aspens, this 1875 mining town, with its preserved and restored false-front buildings, is the most genuinely historic stop on the loop. The last of the silver mines here closed just seven years ago; Silverton now survives on tourism as a key stop for steam trains running on the historic Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

The Skyway climbs for 10 miles beyond Silverton to top 11,075-foot Red Mountain Pass, then narrows to a twisting ribbon of asphalt that clings to the craggy shoulders of mine-pocked peaks until it plunges into the gorge of the Uncompahgre River. This tortuous stretch has been dubbed the Million Dollar Highway, most likely a reference to the cost of its construction in the mid-1920s. But that sobriquet as readily reflects the aesthetic value of the cliff-hanging views the road affords - views that change around each bend all the way to Ouray, an unassuming mining town.

Wedged between the steep rock walls of the river canyon, Ouray offers a surprising variety of bed-and-breakfast-style accommodations as well as hotels, cabins, and condos. Plenty of hiking and mountain bike trails lead out of town; you can also arrange a four-wheel-drive tour to old mine sites. Afterward, soak out the kinks with total immersion in the town's outdoor hot springs pool.

As you loop west from Ridgway, the road drops into a red-rock canyon along the San Miguel River before climbing to the turnoff for Telluride, the halfway point on the Skyway loop. This area, including nearby Mountain Village at the top of the ski area and the Skyway as it climbs toward Lizard Head Pass, is the heart of some of the best fall color on the loop. A boom-and-bust mining camp that was nearly a ghost town 30 years ago, Telluride is a village of restored Victorian-era buildings strung down a deep, glacier-carved box canyon. It has become a trendy winter destination, known as much for its movie star homeowners as for its demanding alpine slopes. The valley is laced with hiking trails, including a gentle 2-mile ramble through the aspens edging Bear Creek that ends at a waterfall. The town is a good base for fly-fishermen, with several shops ready with advice, tackle, and guides for fishing both the San Miguel and the Dolores rivers.

Once over Lizard Head Pass south of town, there are more than enough attractions along the rest of the loop to keep you busy for a day. The Skyway takes you past the turnoff to the ancient Indian cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park and the working cow town of Mancos before routing you back to Durango.

RELATED ARTICLE: TRIP PLANNER: SAN JUAN SKYWAY

You can drive the San Juan Skyway as a long day loop from Durango, but allowing at least two full days gives you time to stretch your legs on aspen-lined hiking trails, get in some late-autumn fishing, and explore historic mining camps.

There is scheduled air service to Durango, the jumping-off point for the drive. Chambers of commerce or visitor bureaus in each main town provide free visitor guides listing local attractions, activities, and tour operators, as well as lodging (rates should drop October 1, then rise again for ski season) and restaurants. For Durango, call (800) 463-8726: Silverton, (800) 752-4494; Ouray, (800) 228-1876; Telluride, (800) 525-3455. All telephone area codes below are 970 unless noted.

The best towns in which to spend a night or two among the aspens are Ouray and Telluride. In Ouray the St. Elmo Hotel (325-4951) is a restored period piece (vintage 1898) whose nine rooms with bath start at $88. The Outlaw (325-4366) offers a decent steak, Western ambience, and John Wayne's hat (left hanging over the back bar after the filming of True Grit). If breakfast doesn't come with your room, enjoy an omelet at the Mountain Garden (325-4265).