Take an awesome Colorado road trip on the San Juan Skyway and see movie locations on your journey.

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For a real road trip adventure take the San Juan Skyway. It’s an unforgettable journey that includes peaks that reach to the sky, Butch Cassidy’s hometown, and the haunting echoes of Mesa Verde ancient civilization. The San Juan Skyway, part of the Million Dollar Highway, was named by Travel + Leisure Magazine as one of “America’s Best Road Trips.” You’ll awe and oh on the journey over the “road to the sky.” It takes you through towns such as Ouray, Silverton, Durango and Telluride in a 232-mile loop. You’ll have an adrenalin rush on the journey as your drive through craggy peaks, vast valleys, historic old west towns, and dense forests.

Plus, you’ll see why Hollywood chooses to film many movies on the sites along the majestic route through Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.

The some of the sites you’ll see on the San Juan Skyway

Movies filmed along the San Juan Highway:

Movies filmed in Ouray:

Ouray movie locations include many westerns filmed in and around Ouray County especially the original production of “True Grit” starring John Wayne, Kim Darby, and Glen Campbell.

Other movies filmed in the Ouray area include:

1950 A Ticket to Tomahawk – With Dan Dailey, Anne Baxter, Rory Calhoun, Marilyn Monroe

1951 Across the Wide Missouri- Clark Gable

1956 Tribute to a Bad Man- James Cagney

1962 How the West Was Won- Spencer Tracy, Gregory Peck, James Stewart, Debbie Reynolds, John Wayne et al.

1964 Unsinkable Molly Brown- Debbie Reynolds

1965 Sons of Katie Elder- John Wayne and Dean Martin (based on a real Ridgway family)

1968 True Grit- John Wayne, Glen Campbell, Kim Darby

1969 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid- Paul Newman

1978 Avalanche- Rock Hudson and Mia Farrow

1987 – Over the Top, Sylvester Stallone

Alfred Packer: The Musical (1996)

Aka Cannibal! The Musical (1996)

Durango Kids (1999)

Sunchaser, The (1996)

Source: boxcanyonouray.com

Movies filmed in Durango “Hollywood of the Rockies”

Since 1925, nearly 30 films have shot on location in and around Durango. The dramatic and varying landscapes, as well as the historic Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, are unique assets that appeal to the film industry and tourists.

How the West Was Won (1963)
The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Downhill Racer (1969)
Support Your Local Gunfighter (1970)
When Legends Die (1972)
Avalanche (1978)
National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)
Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (1984)
The Tracker (1987)
City Slickers (1991)
Rebirth of a Locomotive (1992)
Cliffhanger (1993)
Durango Kid (1999)
The Claim (2000)
Nurse Betty (2000)
The Prestige (2004)
The Connecticut Kid (2006)
The Lone Ranger (2012)

Source: www.durango.org

Movies filmed in Telluride:

The Hateful Eight (2015)

Darling Companion (2012)

Information for your road trip on the Colorado Scenic Byway: San Juan Skyway

Visit coloradodirectory.com for places to stay, towns and areas, map, and fun things to do.

Visit colorado.com trips ideas, festival and events, and special offers.

Thank you.

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Judy Kundert

Judy Kundert, a recipient of the Marquis Who’s Who Excellence in Authorship award, loves storytelling, from folk and fairy tales to classics for elementary school children. She authors award-winning middle-grade novels designed to inspire and intrigue children. After she left her career as a United Airlines stewardess, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University, Chicago and a Master of Arts from DePaul University, Chicago. Most recently, she completed a master’s Certificate in Public Relations and Marketing from the University of Denver. For fun, she likes reading (usually three or four books at a time), watching movies from the oldies to the current films, traveling, biking, and hiking in vast Colorado outdoors with her husband. Learn more at www.judykundert.com.You can find me at the foot of the Colorado Rocky Mountains hiking, biking

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