This road knows what you did last summer.

Skyline Drive earns the top spot when talking about the most dangerous roads in Colorado. But why? It doesn’t have a scary name or a scary history. What is it about three miles of road that’s so ... dangerous?

Skyline Drive was built back in 1905 by prison inmates for residents and visitors to create a one-in-a-million view of Colorado. Inmates were given 10 days off their sentence for every month they worked on the road. It starts off of Highway 50 and ends in Cañon City. For those who are familiar with Colorado, know that wherever you go in this beautiful state, you’ll find awe-inspiring views. 

Skyline Drive is a one-way, no guardrail, knife-edge road going through steep land. 

Weeee? or Ahhhh! (Courtesy of dangerousroads.com)

When you drive onto Skyline Drive, you’ll first notice the all-around view of the land. Nothing and no one is blocking your view of Colorado. The second thing you’ll notice as you ascend upwards is that there are no guardrails protecting your vehicle from falling on either side.

Yikes.

Still, it’s a thrill to drive and is often described to feel like a rollercoaster when driving on it. Exercise extreme caution when driving on the road as you go through some pretty steep and oh-god-don’t-look-down moments. If you’re scared of heights at all, do not drive up this road. Make sure you want to drive all the way through because the road is only wide enough for one car. Meaning there are no U-turns on this stretch of asphalt. 

Courtesy of Giphy

When driven carefully and taken seriously, Skyline Drive provides some of the greatest views Colorado has to offer. No ghosts have been found here yet, but dinosaurs were! Footprints from a 107-million-year-old ankylosaurs track alongside the highway. (Yes, you can see these footprints for yourself! They are still there!)

Some people are vocal about their experience on the infamous drive. Most who drive up comment on the beautiful views you can experience. Trail runners note that the incline is challenging to run up, but the payoff is so worth it at the top. Other careful drivers ask others to exercise caution as some people didn’t feel comfortable driving over 15mph. 

Skyline Drive is open year-round, but is only recommended driving in the warmer weather because icy conditions can easily prove to be fatal.

Are you brave enough to drive up Skyline Drive? Let us know in the comments!