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U.S. Route 550 (US 550) is a north–south US Highway in northwestern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado in American Truck Simulator. It runs from Interstate 25 in Albuquerque to US 50 in Montrose.

Course[]

US 550 begins at Interstate 25, just north of Albuquerque, NM. Shortly after the highway begins it crosses the Rio Grande, and trends northwest on a winding route below high, colorful cliffs on the Colorado Plateau. It soon enters the spacious valley of the Rio Puerco, home to some farms and the town of Cuba, and crosses a wooded plateau, where the Great Continental Divide is crossed. The highway then enters the colorful desert, and after passing a gas station it curves northward, passing by Huerfano Mountain to the east, and meets with US 64 at Bloomfield, where, under impressive cliffs, it continues north into Colorado.

After crossing the state line, the highway meets US 160 and passes through the town of Durango. What follows is the highway's passage across the rugged San Juan Mountains, a daunting yet scenic route known as the "Million Dollar Highway;" the origin of this name is disputed, with explanations including the claim that, in the 1920s, it cost a million dollars a mile to build, and the notion that the fill dirt on the highway contains a million dollars worth of gold. In real life, the Million Dollar Highway runs between Red Mountain Pass and Ouray, a distance making up a fraction of US 550's passage through the mountains; it is this exact section of the highway that runs between Durango and Ouray in the game, a section with ample warnings of its difficulties at both ends.

The Million Dollar Highway begins with Red Mountain Pass, which is ascended via a steep grade and a large switchback. Past the summit, which has an elevation of 11,018 ft. (3358 m), the highway snakes its way along many tight switchbacks. One of these switchbacks features a parking area that provides a view of the highway, the remaining trestle of the abandoned Idarado Mine, and informational plaques about the nearby Red Mountain. After the last switchback, the highway curves sharply and enters the Uncompahgre Gorge; it is here that the highway gains its notoriety, as it hugs the wall of the gorge with a jagged cliff on one side and a steep drop-off on the other, and no shoulders or guardrails, leaving little to no room for error. At the end of this hazardous stretch the highway crosses over Bear Creek Falls, where an overlook provides an excellent view up the gorge, and after passing through a short tunnel the highway reaches an overlook over the town of Ouray, where a viewpoint is located. The highway descends to Ouray through two tight switchbacks; stemming off the lower one is Camp Bird Road, which provides access to Montrose's NAMIQ mine, which sits high in the Sneffels Range, a subrange of the San Juans. After passing through the scenic town of Ouray, the highway exits the San Juans with no more difficulty and soon after enters Montrose, where it terminates.

Cities[]

New Mexico[]

Scenery towns[]

Colorado[]

Scenery towns[]

Junction list[]

New Mexico[]

Location mi km Destinations Facilities Notes
Albuquerque 0-1 0-2 Is 25 shield I-25Santa Fe, Albuquerque Southern terminus

I-25 exit 242

99 159 Gas Station Gas ico
Bloomfield 140 225 Gas Station Gas ico
142 229 Us 64 shield US 64 West – Broadway Bvld, Farmington Gas icoParking icoRecruitment icoServiceDealer icoGarage ico TOTSO
South end of US 64 concurrency
145 234 Us 64 shield US 64 East – E. Broadway, Raton TOTSO
North end of US 64 concurrency
Northern terminus in New Mexico DLC

Colorado[]

Location mi km Destinations Facilities Notes
Durango 175 281-282 US160 US 160 East – Pagosa Springs TOTSO
South end of US 160 concurrency
178 287 Dominguez Dr Gas icoParking icoService
179 288-289 US160 US 160 West – Cortez North end of US 160 concurrency
180 290 Tidbit Market
181 291 Main Ave TOTSO
Inaccessible
San Juan National Forest 205 330 Turnout Northbound only
Uncompahgre National Forest 229 370 Scenic Overlook
Ouray 273 439 Switzerland of America Look Out Point Viewpoint ico Contains signs on mining on Colorado
282 454 Camp Bird Mine (NAMIQ quarry)
Montrose 312 503 Minor road Access to Wallbert and Farmer's Barn depots
314 505 US50 US 50 – San Juan Ave, Poncha Springs, Townsend Ave, Grand Junction Gas icoParking icoServicelink={{{1}}}Garage ico Northern terminus

Achievements[]

History[]

Gallery[]

SCS blog (pre-release)[]

See also[]

New Mexico Flag New Mexico
Cities Alamogordo - Albuquerque - Artesia - Carlsbad - Clovis - Farmington - Gallup - Hobbs - Las Cruces - Raton - Roswell - Santa Fe - Socorro - Tucumcari

List of scenery towns in New Mexico

Highways Interstate 10 - Interstate 25 - Interstate 40
US 54 - US 60 - US 62 - US 64 - US 70 - US 82 - US 84 - US 87 - US 160 - US 180 - US 285 - US 380 - US 412 - US 491 - US 550
NM 18 - NM 104 - NM 209 - NM 218 - NM 237 - NM 292 - NM 348 - NM 418 - NM 529 - NM 597 - NM 599
See also List of landmarks in New Mexico - List of Truck Stops in New Mexico
Flag of Colorado Colorado
Cities Alamosa (Alamosa East, Monte Vista) - Burlington - Colorado Springs - Denver (Aurora) - Durango - Fort Collins (Loveland) - Grand Junction (Fruita) - Lamar - Montrose - Pueblo - Rangely - Steamboat Springs - Sterling

List of scenery towns in Colorado

Highways Interstate 25 - Interstate 70 - Interstate 76
US 6 - US 24 - US 34 - US 40 - US 50 - US 84 - US 160 - US 285 - US 287 - US 350 - US 385 - US 491 - US 550
SH 1 - SH 13 - SH 14 - SH 21 - SH 30 - SH 39 - SH 47 - SH 52 - SH 64 - SH 67 - SH 71 - SH 82 - SH 96 - SH 131 - SH 139 - SH 340
See also List of landmarks in Colorado - List of Truck Stops in Colorado
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