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and switchbacks on the north side facing Ouray, though the entire road is paved. Avalanches are frequent, and can block the highway for some time. The lower part of the pass towards Ouray is blasted into near-vertical cliffs of quartzite hundreds of feet above Red
Mountain Creek and the Uncompahgre
239:
The Red
Mountain Mining District lies from the divide northward to Ironton Park, halfway down towards Ouray. It was the site of a historic silver boom from 1882 until 1893, including the Yankee Girl and National Belle.
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Smith, P. David, (2004) "Mountains of Silver; Life in
Colorado's Red Mountain Mining District": Western Reflections Publishing Co.
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on the northeast side of the pass. The name is derived from the iron oxide laden rock that forms their slopes.
139:
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of the old workings are still visible from the highway, as are the remains of the three largest communities:
217:
99:
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Climate data for Red
Mountain Pass, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals, 1982-2020 extremes: 11200ft (3414m)
174:
76:
197:
178:
1213:
201:
170:
143:
Red
Mountains from Ironton Park; Red Mountain Pass near the Ouray-Silverton Stage Road, c. 1901
72:
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8:
213:
39:
1103:
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92:
273:
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87:
57:
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The pass is known for being treacherous in the wintertime due to the steep 8%
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1101:"Million Dollar Highway named to list of most dangerous roads in the U.S."
260:(Treasury Tunnel) continued digging until the 1970s, and reclamation of
1043:
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River. This section of road is winding, narrow and has no shoulder.
28:
261:
159:
80:
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River watersheds, and also serves as a dividing point between the
1154:
272:
At an elevation of 11200 ft (3414m), Red
Mountain Pass has a
33:
Lower gorge, Red
Mountain Pass; view from HWY 550 near Ouray
1177:"Red Mountain Pass, Colorado 1991-2020 Monthly Normals"
1157:. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
1047:Narrow stretch of highway over Red Mountain Pass.
1195:
231:There are an average of seven deaths per year.
200:National Forests. The pass is traversed by the
150:elevation 11,018 ft (3,358 m) is a
1234:Transportation in San Juan County, Colorado
177:counties. The pass is named for the nearby
169:The pass straddles a divide that separates
1229:Transportation in Ouray County, Colorado
1080:United States Department of the Interior
1042:
138:
914:Average extreme snow depth inches (cm)
1224:Landforms of San Juan County, Colorado
1196:
16:Mountain pass in the state of Colorado
1147:
1098:
1036:Source 2: NOAA (precip/precip days)
1219:Landforms of Ouray County, Colorado
1169:
1071:Geographic Names Information System
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234:
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27:
1076:United States Geological Survey
1138:
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1:
1209:San Juan Mountains (Colorado)
1051:
1099:Duran, Bailey (2023-02-28).
218:San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway
7:
1244:Uncompahgre National Forest
1204:Mountain passes of Colorado
984:Average precipitation days
630:Mean daily minimum °F (°C)
490:Mean daily maximum °F (°C)
10:
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1239:San Juan National Forest
1126:. Western Mining History
216:, which is part of the
184:The pass separates the
1048:
202:Million Dollar Highway
144:
122:37.89889°N 107.71194°W
62:Million Dollar Highway
1046:
700:Mean minimum °F (°C)
420:Mean maximum °F (°C)
142:
350:Record high °F (°C)
127:37.89889; -107.71194
1066:"Red Mountain Pass"
770:Record low °F (°C)
560:Daily mean °F (°C)
283:), bordering on an
118: /
44:11,018 ft (3,358 m)
1124:"Guston, Colorado"
1104:The Durango Herald
1049:
1031:Source 1: XMACIS2
156:San Juan Mountains
145:
93:San Juan Mountains
1040:
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274:subalpine climate
256:. The sprawling
246:Red Mountain Town
148:Red Mountain Pass
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22:Red Mountain Pass
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206:U.S. Highway 550
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235:Mining district
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285:Alpine climate
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81:Colorado, U.S.
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1214:U.S. Route 50
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842:precipitation
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797:
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362:
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264:is ongoing.
263:
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164:United States
161:
157:
153:
152:mountain pass
149:
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51:
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43:
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37:
30:
25:
20:
1180:. Retrieved
1171:
1159:. Retrieved
1149:
1140:
1128:. Retrieved
1118:
1107:. Retrieved
1094:
1083:. Retrieved
1069:
1060:
844:inches (mm)
291:
280:
271:
258:Idarado Mine
238:
230:
222:
183:
179:Red Mountain
168:
147:
146:
49:Traversed by
986:(≥ 0.01 in)
194:Uncompahgre
186:Uncompahgre
158:of western
125: /
113:107°42′43″W
100:Coordinates
58:US 550
1198:Categories
1182:January 3,
1161:January 3,
1109:2024-04-15
1085:2011-02-05
1052:References
242:Headframes
190:Las Animas
110:37°53′56″N
79:counties,
1155:"xmACIS2"
214:Silverton
40:Elevation
909:(1,050)
840:Average
765:(−25.4)
760:(−23.8)
755:(−20.2)
750:(−13.3)
725:(−10.0)
720:(−15.9)
715:(−19.8)
710:(−22.3)
705:(−23.1)
690:(−13.4)
645:(−10.8)
640:(−13.6)
635:(−13.7)
262:tailings
208:between
198:San Juan
175:San Juan
160:Colorado
77:San Juan
69:Location
1130:9 March
745:(−4.8)
730:(−3.1)
695:(−5.2)
685:(−9.6)
680:(−3.9)
655:(−2.7)
650:(−7.6)
620:(−6.9)
615:(−2.9)
600:(10.7)
595:(11.7)
580:(−0.3)
575:(−3.2)
570:(−6.3)
565:(−6.8)
550:(−0.3)
535:(14.1)
530:(17.2)
525:(18.6)
520:(16.3)
515:(11.2)
485:(23.1)
475:(12.2)
470:(16.2)
465:(19.4)
460:(21.2)
455:(22.7)
450:(21.3)
445:(17.4)
440:(13.9)
435:(11.9)
268:Climate
250:Ironton
162:in the
154:in the
1026:149.1
979:(226)
974:(110)
959:(4.6)
954:(1.3)
949:(3.8)
939:(152)
934:(208)
929:(202)
924:(182)
919:(155)
904:(104)
899:(104)
864:(109)
859:(111)
854:(109)
849:(112)
835:(−37)
830:(−32)
825:(−30)
820:(−26)
815:(−18)
800:(−17)
795:(−23)
790:(−28)
785:(−32)
780:(−37)
775:(−36)
740:(1.3)
735:(1.9)
675:(1.1)
670:(4.3)
665:(4.9)
660:(2.0)
625:(1.6)
610:(2.6)
605:(7.6)
590:(9.2)
585:(4.3)
555:(8.5)
545:(3.8)
540:(9.1)
510:(6.9)
505:(4.4)
500:(0.8)
495:(0.1)
480:(8.4)
430:(8.7)
425:(8.8)
306:Month
289:Köppen
278:Köppen
254:Guston
252:, and
1023:15.3
1020:13.7
1017:10.7
1014:10.0
1011:13.1
1008:10.7
1002:10.2
999:14.8
996:15.3
993:15.3
990:15.2
969:(70)
964:(26)
944:(51)
907:41.31
894:(85)
889:(73)
884:(77)
879:(69)
874:(28)
869:(69)
810:(−3)
805:(−2)
763:−13.8
758:−10.9
415:(26)
410:(11)
405:(17)
400:(19)
395:(23)
390:(24)
385:(26)
380:(24)
375:(24)
370:(19)
365:(22)
360:(13)
355:(14)
345:Year
225:grade
210:Ouray
171:Ouray
88:Range
73:Ouray
1184:2024
1163:2024
1132:2021
1005:4.8
977:88.8
972:43.5
967:27.7
962:10.4
942:19.9
937:60.0
932:82.0
927:79.6
922:71.8
917:61.2
902:4.08
897:4.09
892:3.36
887:2.86
882:3.05
877:2.71
872:1.09
867:2.71
862:4.29
857:4.36
852:4.30
847:4.41
753:−4.4
743:23.4
738:34.4
733:35.5
728:26.5
723:14.0
713:−3.6
708:−8.2
703:−9.5
693:22.5
683:14.7
678:25.0
673:34.0
668:39.7
663:40.8
658:35.6
653:27.2
648:18.3
643:12.5
623:34.9
618:19.6
613:26.8
608:36.7
603:45.7
598:51.3
593:53.1
588:48.5
583:39.7
578:31.4
573:26.2
568:20.6
563:19.8
553:47.3
548:31.4
543:38.8
538:48.3
533:57.3
528:62.9
523:65.4
518:61.4
513:52.1
508:44.4
503:40.0
498:33.5
493:32.1
483:73.6
478:47.1
473:54.0
468:61.1
463:67.0
458:70.2
453:72.8
448:70.4
443:63.3
438:57.1
433:53.4
428:47.7
423:47.9
342:Dec
339:Nov
336:Oct
333:Sep
330:Aug
327:Jul
324:Jun
321:May
318:Apr
315:Mar
312:Feb
309:Jan
212:and
196:and
188:and
173:and
957:1.8
952:0.5
947:1.5
833:−35
828:−26
823:−22
818:−15
793:−10
788:−18
783:−25
778:−35
773:−33
748:8.1
718:3.4
688:7.8
638:7.6
633:7.4
294:).
281:Dfc
1200::
1078:,
1074:.
1068:.
808:26
803:28
413:78
408:51
403:63
398:67
393:73
388:76
383:78
378:76
373:76
368:67
363:72
358:56
353:57
292:ET
248:,
220:.
204:,
166:.
75:/
1186:.
1165:.
1134:.
1112:.
1088:.
813:0
798:2
287:(
276:(
64:)
60:(
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