Lizard Head Pass: Telluride to Rico
24 miles of CO 145 between Telluride and Rico over Lizard Head Pass (10,222 ft), the western leg of the San Juan Skyway. Sweeping mountain curves through the San Juan National Forest.
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Check current Colorado road conditions before a winter trip; mountain sections can ice over and this pass sees real snowfall. Check current access · Reviewed 2026-09-17
Planning the drive
Lizard Head is the counterpoint to the Million Dollar Highway it connects to at Ridgway: 31 bends and just 1 switchback over 24 miles, a density of 1.3 bends per mile — the lowest of any Colorado road in this catalog. Grades are mild on both sides (7.5% at the steepest), well maintained, and suitable for any vehicle rather than demanding mountain-driving experience. This is the pass to choose if you want the San Juan scenery without the Million Dollar Highway's technical demands. Wikipedia: Lizard Head Pass
The San Juans are known for rapidly changing weather even in open season, and this pass sees real snowfall in winter. Check current Colorado road conditions before a winter or shoulder-season trip.
Roads to connect
- Million Dollar Highway · US 550The tighter, more technical San Juan Skyway leg, joined at Ridgway.
Driving notes updated .
Road shape
- Length
- 23.9 mi
- Bends
- 31
- Switchbacks
- 1
- Bends per mile
- 1.3
- Turning per mile
- 137°
- Curviest rank
- 133of 145
Measured from the OpenStreetMap centreline at a 20 m sampling step — road shape only, not a safety or speed judgement. How bends are counted.
Elevation
- Total climb
- 4,649ft
- Climb per mile
- 195ft
- Highest point
- 10,256ft
- Steepest grade
- 7.5%
Sampled every 100 m from USGS 10 m elevation data, a public-domain federal dataset. Total climb counts vertical change in both directions, so it does not depend on which way you drive. How elevation is measured.
Speed limits
Varies
Unverified
Check posted signs along the road.
No reliable posted limit was found for this selected section. Follow current signs.
Posted signs always govern. How speed evidence is handled.
Sources
Difficulty 2/3 (Winding) is our editorial rating of width, bends and sightlines; “Medium speed” describes character, not a target speed. Full method. Identified from:
- Wikipedia: Lizard Head Pass
- Wikipedia: San Juan Skyway Scenic and Historic Byway
- OpenStreetMap road data (20 ways in this trace)
Reviewed 2026-09-17. The trace shows selected road sections, not a navigation route.
Roads nearby
Distances are approximate straight lines between road centers, not driving distances or direct connections.