Outdoor Recreation Is Big Around Little Ouray
Spending our vacations with packs on our backs is not unusual for my husband, Steve, and me. In fact, that's how we spent our honeymoon, when we went for a five-day hike in the Grand Canyon, where we'd met a few years earlier.
Several months after our wedding, we again hoisted our backpacks for a week-long trek in New Hampshire's White Mountains. Since then, we've enjoyed many days of trail-walking and camping together from New England to the Southwest.
And our latest vacation was no exception. We returned to Ouray, Colorado, one of our favorite destinations--a small town of about 800 year-round residents at 7,700 feet in the heart of the Rocky Mountains--where we camped and hiked and enjoyed some great food (and Steve had some mustache-foaming home brew at Mr. Grumpy Pants a.k.a. the Ourayle House) after we finished our trail-walking each day.
Below you'll find photos from our trip and some of our favorite things to do in Ouray, along with additional information and resources in case you're planning a visit.
Outdoor Fun In Ouray
Here is some of what you can do in the fresh air in and around this mountain town.
- Bird-watching
- Carriage rides
- Fishing
- Golf
- Hiking and Backpacking
- Horseback riding
- Hot air ballooning
- Jeep touring
- Mountain Biking
- Mountaineering
- Rock climbing
- Ice Climbing
- Cross-Country skiing
- Snowmobiling
- Snowshoeing
- River rafting and Kayaking
- Exploring ghost towns
- Wildlife and nature photography
- Soaking in natural hot springs
- Trail running (and the 17.1-mile Imogene Pass Run from Ouray to Telluride is held every September)
What You'll Find Below
Photos and information about....
- The Ouray Perimeter Trail
- Box Canyon
- The Ouray Ice Park
- The Ice Climbing Festival In Action
- Oak Creek Trail
- Neosho Mine Trail
- Ouray Hikes
- A Topo Map Of Ouray, Colorado
- The Search & Rescue Card
- Camping In And Around Ouray
- Ouray Hot Springs
- Watch A Video About The Ouray Hot Springs Facility
- More To See & Do In Ouray
- Finding Your Way To Ouray
- The Weather In Ouray
- More Ouray Resources
- The Ouray Community Blog
- More Of What We Did On Our Colorado Trip
The Ouray Perimeter Trail
A Work In Progress And A Great Walk
At any rate, it was a wonderful, leisurely hike with opportunities to connect with other area trails along the way.
To reach the start of the Perimeter Trail, you can walk or drive from downtown Ouray to the east end of unpaved 8th Avenue. From the parking area, head up to Lower Cascade Falls, where the Perimeter trail departs to the right. (Eventually, the actual trailhead will be located across from the Ouray Visitor Center.)
The route leads hikers through the forest and around the Amphitheater, which was formed by a volcanic eruption. The well-signed Perimeter Trail then connects with the Baby Bathtubs Trail and heads south across Portland Creek and up to the Three Pines area near Portland Mine road.
The trail continues across an open area called the Potato Patch, with views of Twin Peaks and Whitehouse, then descends to Highway 550, crosses the road and intersects the Ice Park trail.
The Perimeter trail follows the Ice Park trail to the Camp Bird mine road. After crossing the bridge, the trail heads up to the Box Canyon bridge....
....and then through a tunnel before taking you down the mountain to Pinecrest Street and back into town.
Box Canyon
A Side-Trip From the Perimeter Trail Or A Walk-In Destination
Interpretive signs along the metal-grated walkways, which allow you to see through to the whitewater below, explained some of the geology and natural history of the area. Another short side trail identifies native plants and the location of the now-vaulted hot springs that are piped to the popular soaking pools across town.
After checking out Box Canyon from below, Steve and I hiked back up to where we'd left off the Perimeter Trail and continued on our way.
The Ouray Ice Park
Ice Climbing In The Uncompagre Gorge
Here, you can see Steve on the "catwalk," taking a closer look. Me, I was too chicken to go any further, so I sat down about five feet from the edge and enjoyed the sound of the rushing water below as I imagined the place covered with ice and climbers.
For more information on the Ouray Ice Park, visit OurayIcePark.com.
Check out the Ouray Ice Festival, held every January.
The Ice Climbing Festival In Action
Oak Creek Trail
The Oak Creek Trail climbed and climbed, then dropped down for a creek crossing and climbed again, rewarding us with amazing views and gorgeous mountain hiking.
Neosho Mine Trail
And the hike, which was indeed very steep for at least the first ... well, I'd say it was more like three-quarters of a mile ... didn't disappoint. As always with Ouray trails, the scenery was amazing.
And the old mine site was really neat. In fact, I'd seen the blacksmith's building high on a ledge far above the road leading into Ouray, but I didn't know that's where we were headed on this hike until we arrived.
Ouray Hikes
Ouray Hiking Guide: Favorite Hiking Trails of Ouray, Colorado
List Price: $11.95
Used Price: $5.04
Written by a local hiking enthusiast, this is a valuable and accurate resource for anyone interested in hiking around Ouray.
A Topo Map Of Ouray, Colorado
For backcountry exploration
USGS Topographic Quadrangle Map - Ouray, Colorado (Folded/Waterproof)
Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 01/04/2010)
This is the most recent topographic map available for the Ouray area, printed on tear-resistant, waterproof material.
The Search & Rescue Card
For $3.00 per year or $12.00 for five years, this card will cover you by the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search & Rescue Fund (COSAR). This fund reimburses counties for costs of backcountry rescues. The cards are available at Ouray Mountain Sports and the Ridgeway State Park.
Camping In And Around Ouray
For RV'ers and tent campers
- 4J+1+1 RV Park & Campground
- This is where we've pitched our tent on our visits to Ouray. Owned by the Clark family since 1956, this oddly-named campground is right on the edge of town, so you can walk from there onto the hiking trails or directly to the coffeeshop in the morning or peruse the galleries and shops in the evening when you return. It's also really close to the Hot Springs, where you can soak your sore muscles before bed. If there's a downside to this campground, it's that it's located right alongside an unpaved through-road. We've not found the traffic itself to be an issue, but more so the dust it kicks up. And when the volunteer fire department siren happens to go off in the middle of night ... well, you'll know it! But the showers and bathrooms are nice and clean, and the convenient location is great.
- Ouray KOA
- Located along the Uncompahgre River, this is a motorcycle-friendly campground. You can also rent a jeep right at the campground and go explore ghost towns and old mines.
- Amphitheater Forest Service Campground
- Located at an elevation of 8,400 feet among Gamble oaks and mixed conifers, this campground overlooks the town of Ouray and the "Ampthitheater," which was formed by a volcanic explosion. The campground is a couple of miles from town.
- For More Camping And RV Parks In Ouray
- Visit the Ouray, Colorado official website.
Ouray Hot Springs
There are several soaking sections, a lap swimming section, a diving area, a big slide, a shallow section for kids and a game area for water volleyball.
On a past visit to Ouray, after a long hike, we walked about five minutes from the 4J+1+1 Campground over to the hot springs facility on a very cold evening and spent a couple of warm hours soaking and yacking.
Orvis Hot Springs and the Weisbaden Hot Springs and Vapor Cave are also nearby.
For more information on the Ouray hot springs, see OurayColorado.com.
Watch A Video About The Ouray Hot Springs Facility
More To See & Do In Ouray
- Ouray County Museum
- The Museum is housed in the original St. Joeseph's Miners' Hospital that was built in 1886 and finis...
- Box Canyon Falls Park
- Box Canyon Falls & Park is located in the southwest corner of Ouray and is accessible on foot or by...
- Bachelor-Syracuse Mine Tour
- The Bachelor-Syracuse Mine Tour takes you 3,350 feet horizontally into Gold Hill, rich in gold, silv...
- Canyon Creek Jeep
- Experience the Colorado high country in total freedom with their Wrangler Sport Jeeps. They feature...
- Colorado West Jeep Rentals & Tours
- A great source for 4x4 historic tours and jeep rentals in Ouray.
- Outlaw Rivers & Jeep Tours
- Enjoy backcountry jeeping and Hummer tours. They also offer a wide range of raft trips and guided sn...
The Weather In Ouray
Current weather conditions in Ouray, CO
Local Pollen Reports
16°F (Feels like 9°F)
Last update: 1/4/10 3:52 AM MST
Humidity: 62%Visibility: 10.0 mi
Dew Point: 7°F
UV Index: 0 (Lawn and Garden Weather)
Barometer: 30.29in steady
Moon: Rush Hour Traffic
Wind: 5mph From: Airport Conditions
Today
Fair
High: 33°F
Low: 13°F
Sunrise: 7:27 AM
Sunset: 5:05 PM
Tuesday
Jan 5
Partly Cloudy
High: 35°F
Low: 15°F
Sunrise: 7:27 AM
Sunset: 5:05 PM
Wednesday
Jan 6
PM Snow Showers
High: 32°F
Low: 6°F
Sunrise: 5:20 PM
Sunset: 5:06 PM
Thursday
Jan 7
Snow Shower
High: 23°F
Low: 5°F
Sunrise: 7:27 AM
Sunset: 5:07 PM
More Ouray Resources
- The Ouray Chamber Resort Association Website
- With information on dining, shopping, area businesses and events in and near the town of Ouray
- Ouray Lovers Website
- Photos, videos, a Ouray discussion forum and more
The Ouray Community Blog
Fetching RSS feed... please stand by
More Of What We Did On Our Colorado Trip
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Planning A Colorado Trail Section Hike: Silverton To Durango
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And, boy, do we need one. It's been a long time since my husband and I have done a multi-day backpacking trip together, and we're really looking forward to our first section-hike on the Colorado Trail in June, 2009. I figured that, as I plan...
Have You Been To Ouray?
Share Your Comments Or Questions Here
And you don't have to be a member of Squidoo to leave a message.
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Reply
- Mike Bower Mike Bower Jan 2, 2010 @ 10:22 am
- Happy New Year! I was able to visit your website and found it very interesting and helpful. I am working the month of January for a startup company here in Boston that has created a website for outdoor enthusiasts to find hiking, biking, climbing or skiing in their area based on their interests. The Website is called www.alltrails.com. This is (and will always be) a free website that's goal is to make access to the outdoors possible for anyone and everyone in the United States. To be successful, however, we are going to need help building more specific content for the website. This is where we would love to have you assist us. In return we can offer you specific incentives through our website that would include driving people to your site. Please know that we are not at all trying to just take your already very useful information. We are simply trying to create and interactive website that will allow people to further discover the outdoors. If you are interested, I would love to talk with you about the opportunity.
Thanks and Best,
Mike Bower
bowerm@mit.edu
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Reply
- aLundy aLundy Sep 23, 2009 @ 7:24 am
- Great lens - have been in that general area - it is beautiful
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Reply
- HorseAndPony HorseAndPony Sep 21, 2009 @ 12:21 pm
- Great lens! We need to add this to our list of places to explore.
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Reply
- high-country high-country Jul 17, 2009 @ 7:56 pm
- Great lens...I just started mine for Summit County, Colorado.
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Reply
- dc64 dc64 Jun 27, 2009 @ 3:43 pm
- Oh...I want to go! It's so amazing. Colorado is one of the places I really want to visit. Why didn't I move there instead of Alabama?
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About Me, The Hiking Writer Known As Ramkitten
Lensmaster Ramkitten has been a member since December 7 2008, has rated 2,458 lenses, favorited 198, and has created 111 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "Becoming a Search and Rescue Volunteer". See all my lenses
My Bio
I'm glad you've stopped by! So what's with the Ramkitten thing, you ask? Well, that's my trail name in the long-distance backpacking community (and now just about everywhere else), but you can call me Deb if you'd like.
Hiking the Appalachian Trail was the greatest experience of my life, and I have plans for more long-distance treks in the future. That's me in the photo, celebrating at the official end of the A.T., excited about the accomplishment, looking forward to being home again, but a little sad inside, too, because an amazing journey has come to an end. That was in 2000 but feels like yesterday, as I remember everything in such detail. That's often how it is when you're moving through life at no more than 3 miles per hour along the simplicity of a trail.
Anyhow, I'm originally from Rhode Island but now live in Flagstaff, Arizona. I'm a Search & Rescue volunteer (love it!) and a writer of both fiction and non-. In late 2008, I began working on my own internet-based business, selling pre-equipped 24-hour packs for hikers and other outdoorsy folks. And, as a 40th birthday gift to myself, I quit my "real job" in favor of doing things I truly enjoy on a full-time basis.
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