What makes an All-American Road? According to the U.S. Department
of Transportation, this highest designation of the National Scenic
Byways program is given to roads that “provide visitors
with a unique driving experience ....roads that travelers want
to enjoy, and are destinations unto themselves.” Colorado’s
San Juan Skyway is one of a limited number of scenic byways in
the U.S. that has been awarded this distinction.
Snaking through spectacular mountain scenery in southwestern
Colorado, the San Juan Skyway offers travelers 236 miles of breathtaking
views ranging from cloud-tickling summits (14 of which surpass 14,000 feet) to lush valleys.
The skyway, designated as an All-American Road in 1996, offers
much more than just stunning vistas. The road represents a significant
era of settlement by silver and gold prospectors, and embodies
the dream of one man, Otto Mears, a Russian immigrant who cashed
in on the mining boom by constructing a series of toll roads
in the late 1800s to help miners transport their lodes down from
the high peaks. The skyway region also encompasses the legacy
of the Ute Indians who struggled to live in harmony with miners
and other settlers but who eventually were forced from their
homeland, and the history of the settlers who came to live in
the towns that sprang from mining encampments.
To help visitors fully understand the heritage of this scenic
region, the San Juan Skyway Association worked with the
faculty of nearby Fort Lewis College, who wrote a comprehensive
98-page guide to the San Juan Skyway in 1994. The guide includes
detailed information about the geology, ecology, and history
of the western San Juan mountains, pointing out significant landmarks
and telling their stories and suggesting side trips off the skyway.
Working with Rocky Mountain Public Broadcasting, the association
produced a high-quality, half-hour program in 1997 featuring
the natural, cultural, and historical wonders of the San Juan
Skyway. The program is now sold through Rocky Mountain PBS.
“The All-American Road status was a big breakthrough for
us,” states Ken Francis, the director of the office of
community services at Fort Lewis College and a leader of the
San Juan Skyway Association. Francis says the designation has
helped move forward important byway resource protection initiatives. “Between
1992 and 1999, we secured more than $3 million in grants for
projects along the byway.” Byway funding has been used
for interpretive projects such as visitor kiosks, a visitor center,
and the historical guidebook. Over $800,000 was awarded to build
interpretive pullouts and trails along the byway.
“The focus of the San Juan Skyway Association is to interpret
and protect the byway for future generations to enjoy,” declares
Francis. “Every tourism attraction—no matter how
big or small—has a carrying capacity. If you don’t
respect those limitations, you run the risk of damaging or even
losing the resources that people have come to see.”
The impact of the skyway designation can also be seen in major
projects by other groups, such as the Red Mountain Task Force,
which is in the process of acquiring from willing sellers 10,500
acres of historic landscapes and structures within the historic
Red Mountain Mining District. Purchased land will be added to
the adjacent Uncompahgre and
San Juan National Forests.
For more information visit the San Juan Skyway Association at
www.sanjuanskyway.com.
Snaking through spectacular mountain scenery in southwestern
Colorado, the San Juan Skyway offers travelers 236 miles of breathtaking
views ranging from cloud-tickling summits (14 of which surpass 14,000 feet) to lush valleys.
The skyway, designated as an All-American Road in 1996, offers
much more than just stunning vistas. The road represents a significant
era of settlement by silver and gold prospectors, and embodies
the dream of one man, Otto Mears, a Russian immigrant who cashed
in on the mining boom by constructing a series of toll roads
in the late 1800s to help miners transport their lodes down from
the high peaks. The skyway region also encompasses the legacy
of the Ute Indians who struggled to live in harmony with miners
and other settlers but who eventually were forced from their
homeland, and the history of the settlers who came to live in
the towns that sprang from mining encampments.
“The All-American Road status was a big breakthrough for
us,” states Ken Francis, the director of the office of
community services at Fort Lewis College and a leader of the
San Juan Skyway Association. Francis says the designation has
helped move forward important byway resource protection initiatives. “Between
1992 and 1999, we secured more than $3 million in grants for
projects along the byway.” Byway funding has been used
for interpretive projects such as visitor kiosks, a visitor center,
and the historical guidebook. Over $800,000 was awarded to build
interpretive pullouts and trails along the byway.
