Back in 1986, Life Magazine named U.S. Highway 50 "The Loneliest Road in America." While the specific title was given primarily to the stretch of no man's land that runs through Nevada, Highway 50 actually runs across the entire contiguous United States from Maryland to California.

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While the stretch that runs through the state of Colorado isn't necessarily the most exciting drive in the world, given some of the towns and features along the way, it certainly isn't the loneliest.

How Lonely is Highway 50 in Colorado?

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First, let's start at the Kansas border where Highway 50 passes through a few small towns in a row with the largest being Lamar and La Junta, but the most famous town on this trek is Rocky Ford due to the canteloupe that are grown there.

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Next, we'll reach the largest city on the portion of Highway 50 that passes through Colorado - Pueblo. From Pueblo, if we head east we'll eventually hit Florence and Cañon City, both of which are known for being home to numerous prisons.

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The trip west of Cañon City takes us past the Royal Gorge and a beautiful canyon drive all the way to Salida.

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Just west of Salida is Monarch Pass which takes us over the continental divide and past Monarch Ski Area. Things begin to wind down as we descend the pass and make our way to Gunnison.

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The highway then takes us on a rather uneventful drive from Gunnison to Delta, Colorado.

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From Delta, Highway 50 takes us to the second-largest city on the route - Grand Junction.

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While things get a little confusing regarding which highway is which once we land in Grand Junction, Highway 50 technically runs all the way to the Utah border and eventually to the end of the line in West Sacramento, California.

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