last dollar road

do not drive the whole road, you will be sorry unless U have a jeep & a lot of time! wildlife abundant, drive slow & enjoy the view !

We were told about this road by a woman at the Montrose visitor center. It is just west of Ridgway. It is gravel but it hadn't rained out so it was is very good condition. This road goes to Telluride but we didn't go all the way on it. We were told that the first few miles are the most scenic. And they certainly are. We were there on the peak color weekend and saw some outstanding colorful scenery. The aspens were beautiful. There are several excellent areas to get some well composed pictures.

I drove this on 10/18/2014 from the Ridgway side to Telluride in a 2WD Toyota Highlander. I made sure the roads were dry, by watching the preceding days' weather. You should never attempt this road in a 2WD if there is any mud...it will be slippery mud and YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET UP THE HILLS...trust me...also do not get caught there if there is a chance of rain. Having said that, I had no real trouble in the Highlander, with either traction or clearance. Could you do it in a passenger car?...That's a borderline question. On a dry road, the climbing traction was at the doable limit for the Highlander, Don't drive a car if you have low clearance or poor traction tires. So...this is not a simple yes or no for the 2WD drive question. If you are adept at driving on bumpy gravel, rocky roads, with a few shallow minor stream crossings(okay for 2WD...just don't stop), then I say, "if you are an adventurous analytical risk-taker, like me, go ahead". Just remember that this road will push the limit of most 2WD cars climbing ability...an SUV or truck with a little higher clearance would be a better option. Now for the good part...The aspens were golden, the mountains were gorgeous and it was the most memorable part of our week-long stay in the Ouray/ Telluride/Ridgway area! be sure to drive from the Ridgway side...the views are better. You will not be disappointed.

We took Last Dollar Road from Ridgway to Telluride, and we certainly enjoyed it! Not too hard of a trail, and very scenic.

Don't pay attention to previous reviews... you can easily drive this in a car (Would 4wd be better? absolutely). We were in a 4 runner on a sunny day and we had no issues driving this road. There were some big puddles but nothing a car couldn't maneuver through. I do NOT recommend driving right after a heavy rain storm however. It took us a little over an hour from Ridgeway to Telluride. I do recommend driving when the aspen trees have already turned yellow - late September to October. the beauty of this road are the patches or groves of aspens. There are several campers camping along this road...one party brought their RV!!! Yes there are some parts that are narrow so if there is a car coming from the other way and there is no pullout, you may need to drive backwards for a bit. How to find it from Ridgeway - take 62 (which is main road in Ridgeway town) heading towards Telluride. After you see hwy marker 12 look for a sign that says "Last Dollar Road" - the road will be on your left. If you see mile marker 11, you've gone too far. You can also access this road from Telluride (turn right onto Airport Road).

The trail maps list this road as 2wd unpaved...maybe if you took the right spur where the road forks, I don't know....but the left spur has large ruts, lots of rocks, ledges, and narrow roads with limited passing spots if you meet oncoming traffic. Definitely drive it from the Ridgway area down to Telluride as the road is well marked with arrowed signs pointing the way to Tellurude, as there are many side roads branching off. Not so in the other direction.

On our way back from Ouray & the Million Dollar Highway, we decided to take the Last Dollar Road near Ridgway to Airport Road in Telluride. This was my favorite scenic drive I had in driving 2300 miles in Colorado over a 2 week period! I would advise a 4-wheel drive vehicle since the roads are rough. It had rained that day but the Ford Explorer's 4WD worked great through mud and rocks. It is also narrow which can be harrowing on some parts if another car is coming toward you and a ledge is on your right. BUT... it is so worth it. Whether it is Daisies as far as the eye can see, the still-standing Ross House from True Grit (1969 with John Wayne), interconnected & crowded Aspen groves where stark white bark and applauding green leaves overwhelm the senses or the mountain vistas where you feel so small yet appreciative to be among the Majestic San Juan's. (See iPhone pics below).It is so worth the 1-1/2 to 2 hours to see what very few every do.

This is a lovely drive through rolling hills and up and down mountains ridges and through stands of aspen trees. It's the best way to get from Ouray to Telluride.Better if you have a four wheel drive vehicle for getting through muddy areas when it rains, but if dry, you can get away with a two wheel drive vehicle.

This road is rated easy 4x4 but rain, which happens many summer afternoons, changes everything. They have a sign warning of 8 miles of tough road when wet and that you should have 4x4 and good tires, heed that. I took a heavily loaded F250 4x4 with new but not aggressive tires and it was all I could handle on the rutted, slippery, off camber slopes. the rain intensified, road turned to snot, and having a low range was a blessing.

You will find many places to take breathtaking photos, so allow plenty of time to enjoy the natural beauty We saw quite a few elk, deer, & even a moose!We drove it in the summer with a front-wheel drive cross-over SUV; (however, if we had encountered a "monsoon season" thunderstorm, it could have been considerably less pleasant to drive). One of the fun sites along this road is the homeplace featured in John Wayne's classic, "True Grit". The wildflowers on the opposite side of the road are stunning, too!Dallas Divide (8,970 feet) is one of the most photographed spots in all of Colorado: Enjoy it!

Miles and miles across the tops of mountains. No gas stations, no hotels, nada. Just spectacular views. Do not go in winter or after rain. No guardrails. Maybe scary to some but breath taking.

We drove this road in a Subaru Forester. Outstanding views looking down from some high viewpoints. The road was rough and rutted in places but was generally good. Not much traffic. Very minor stream crossing or two.

A must drive during the fall color season...and you will be back!Absolutely beautiful.....and very relaxing....not nearly as roughed as the many jeep trails in the area

This is a great way to go from Ridgway to Telluride. You ought to drive a high clearance SUV type vehicle but every once in a while I see a rental sedan taking the trip and getting a pretty good work out. There are areas that can be covered in snow in some times of the year when you will need a 4 wheel drive to get through end near Telluride. But in the summer just a good rental SUV will do fine. The views are spectacular in the summer when the wild flowers are out and in the fall for the leave change. It is just a really nice way to get from Ridgway to Telluride or the reverse. I saw another review suggesting you take a pick nick lunch and that would be nice but have not done that myself. Lots of photo ops on the way. It is hard to get lost but you can get confused so take a map or GPS with you. There are no amenities on the way so have a full tank of gas and soft drinks/water/snacks. You will really enjoy this drive if you aren't ready for some of the "hard core" off-road adventures this area of the state is famous for.

Don't let the dirt road shy you away, this a nice trek across some beautiful mountain range (San Juan mountains) and the drive is safe unless it snows of course.