Ouray, Colorado -- Camping in the Switzerland of America
The mountains have never looked so regal.
I didn’t know what to expect when I agreed to go to Ouray.
I knew there were mountains, of course, but how much more spectacular or different could they really be? Well, for starters, these mountains are six hours away, not two like the mountains I see all the time in Dillon. It would’ve been even longer if we had been in Friday rush hour traffic on I-70.
We avoided that mess by leaving for Montrose at around 8 p.m. and staying there for the night. We spent the night at the Red Arrow Boutique Hotel, which was a lovely way to ease into our camping adventure. We did the drive like this because we had our hearts set on a first-come-first-serve campsite that’s right in the town of Ouray and wanted to get there as soon as possible in the morning. And it worked! We got the very last campsite and it felt like the universe was winking at us as we could finally breathe into the excitement of actually being there.
The Amphitheater Campground in Ouray is fantastic. We were a few days early for the Fourth of July and we were planning to post up through the long weekend. My friend Megan had said that she was going on the trip whether or not I came, which was exactly the push I needed to hop on board. I love mountains and travelling and normally I would’ve said yes immediately, but I had a bit of hesitation because I’m far from an experienced camper. This was only my second time tent-camping …. ever. I was nervous about putting myself out there and not having the necessary gear, but those worries floated away with the breeze once we unpacked. I never for a moment felt incapable or unable to do something while out in the wild. (Though it did take me quite a while to figure out how to like the little portable camp stove.)
Anyway, the campsite was perfect. It wasn’t long after we pitched the tent that we wandered down to see how close we were to the hiking trails we’d spotted on the maps. The Ouray Perimeter Trail wasn’t far, so we hopped on and headed toward the sound of falling water. After much winding and up-and-down climbing, the Cascade Falls were there to greet us. A handful of kids were playing in the stream and a group of college bros I recognized from the campsite were suntanning on the rocks. The water from the falls spewed out into the air and fell along the river rock and I stood in awe and let myself feel small in its mighty presence.
If you’re looking at the falls, you’ll cross over the water at the bottom and then head to the left to hop back on the trail that traces the perimeter. But don’t go without indulging in a little side quest by going on the path that takes you behind the waterfall — it’s a steep trek to get there from the bottom but the view from inside the pouring water is worth seeing.
If you keep walking further on the trail, you’ll eventually get to the point that you can see the Ouray Hot Springs on the northern part of town. We didn’t continue much further that day because something about Ouray to note is this: no matter which direction you go, you’re going to go uphill. Maybe that’s obvious to more experienced mountain visitors, but I and my thigh muscles were notably surprised.
The next time we returned to the Ouray Perimeter Trail, we hiked it from the Baby Bathtubs area to the Box Canyon Falls. (Park at the Baby Bathtubs trailhead and use that to hop on the perimeter trail. It’s great access but getting back to the car from town is a workout within itself, warning you now).
Heading toward the Box Canyon Falls, you’ll see turnoffs for the Ouray Ice Park, which operates from December to March as a spectacular man-made ice climbing park. The gorge used for the ice park is beautiful no matter the season, but in the summer, it’s used as the site of Ouray’s Via Ferrata, which is free to the public.
Just walking by the signs and seeing the people in their climbing gear heading toward the cliff was enough to get my attention. Luckily, Megan is courageous and has a “must do everything at least once” mentality — there she goes again with the whole giving-me-the-push-I-needed thing. We vowed we’d look into it.
About a mile or so past the Ice Park, we arrived at the Box Canyon Falls. Seeing it from the top and the bottom is necessary. The views are entirely different but equally dramatic from either vantage point. We saw it from the top first before following the crowds down into the canyon. You hear the falls before you see them — the thunder builds and you get deeper and deeper until you’re in it, you’re right there, you feel mist on your face and you hear echoes and you feel the weight in the air from the thousands of gallons of water spewing out every second up above.
The end of the walkway is the closest view of the falls you’ll get. The water comes from Canyon Creek and falls some 85 feet from the mouth above to the pool below before rushing out and heading toward town. It is a spectacular sight. It is nice, and likely necessary, to be reminded of the power of forces of nature like this.
Following the water’s lead, we took ourselves to town after this stop.
We were told that every year on the Fourth of July, the town of Ouray celebrates by blocking off a space in town to give local volunteer firefighters a chance to duke it out with an audience on all four sides. The two teams of two firefighters each hold a spewing water hose at the other, attempting to use the sheer force of the water to push the other team of firefighters back. The water-centric tug-of-war, reminded me of that moment in Harry Potter when the two spells coming off the wands meet in the air. The town loves it, as do the giggling children, and the cold water was a welcome respite from the heat.
The best place to see the July 4th fireworks in Ouray had to be right from where we were staying at Amphitheater Campground. There’s a perfect little nook that looks out over the town and into the spot where they shoot them off. Because we were up on the mountain, we were eye-level with the fireworks — something I’d never experienced before. We watched the town below us light up with every color as the booms echoed in the naturally made amphitheater engulfing us. I love fireworks already, but seeing them with a gaggle of campers while all holding beers and laughing with the expressive kids standing in the front row is a memory I won’t soon forget.
Then there was the Million Dollar Highway day.
The Million Dollar Highway, also known as the prettiest portion of US-550, is the path from Ouray to Silverton. When we were chatting about why we thought it was named what it was, I suggested that it could be because of the Million Dollar views you see while along the route. A quick google (once I had cell service again) told me that it’s not nearly that poetic. The highway, which was carefully carved out along the mountains, cost a million dollars to build back in 1883. That’s equal to at least $30 million today. And they didn’t waste a single cent of that on guardrails because they decided those weren’t necessary. (Another google explained that there’s no guardrails because of the excessive amount of snow received in the area every winter — if there were rails, the plows wouldn’t be able to clear the roads).
There’s numerous places to stop and take in the beauty of this highway. Stop at every spot you can — you’ll leave feeling invincible for driving on the scary road and you’ll have beautiful pictures of the Uncompahgre Gorge and the San Juan Mountain Range. Here’s a few of mine:
When we got to Silverton, we grabbed a bite to eat at Thee Pitts Again BBQ (odd name, excellent BBQ — even Guy Fieri thinks so!) before perusing the town. Silverton has a completely different feel than Ouray. It’s an old mining town that seems as though it must have been preserved in time with all the snow it receives each year.
We stopped into the Shady Lady Saloon, which we later were told was the oldest brothel in Silverton. Madam Jew Fanny closed the shop in 1947 and it took years to get it to become the bar it is today. It’s located a block off the main drag, the street where all the brothels in the area were located at the time. Apparently there were even tunnels underground so the men wouldn’t be seen crossing from the Main Street over to the street with the brothels. I took in my history lesson with a Bloody Mary (duh) and then ordered a second one to make sure that first one wasn’t just a fluke (it wasn’t).
From the saloon, we left to take the Million Dollar Highway back toward Ouray. We had time so we ended up stopping and doing the prettiest hike I’ve ever been on in my entire life.
The ‘Island Lake and Ice Lake via Ice Lakes Trail’ is what it’ll show up as on AllTrails. The intensity is listed as hard and it’s not joking — the incline throughout just doesn’t quit! The full trail — including the loop at the end — is around 7 miles with almost 3,000 feet of elevation gain.
Because we had to start a little bit later in the day, we were fighting sunlight to get to the top on time. It felt like we’d hiked 10 miles and gone at least 2500 feet in elevation when we decided to call it. I’m sad to say we didn’t even get to the lakes, though there were a handful of waterfalls along the way. (Oh you know, just another beautiful waterfall, nothing crazy.)
Still, it was the most beautiful hike I’ve ever been on. Ironic that we didn’t see what we wanted (the alpine lakes!) because of our time constraint, yet it was that same time constraint that allowed us to see the mountains clocaked in their finest, most regal colors. The colors in the sky matched the colors growing out of the ground among the wildflowers. It was breathtaking. But I still want to see those lakes.
Our last full day was our Via Ferrata day.
We ate a hearty camp breakfast before heading to Ouray Mountain Sports in town to rent our gear. $40 and a pep-talk from the guy about calming my nerves and we were off. We parked near the Ice Park entrance and followed the signs in and that’s about the time I started doing my breathing exercises.
Something fun about the Via Ferrata — or maybe this is true for all climbers or for all people doing things that make them a little nervous — is the way that you can’t think about anything else while you’re doing it. My mind simply did not have the space to hold thoughts other than breathe and let’s try putting the left foot there, no not there and oof that’s my knuckle and wow, look at this view.
There’s rungs pushed into the mountains throughout the canyon that you use to clip in and out. There’s an upstream and downstream section — upstream was deemed the “more technical and advanced” route, so we chose to do the downstream option for our first go. The very first part of the downstream section involved walking straight across on the tightrope. Of course you’re clipped in and there’s handles to hold on either side, but still. It’s a great way to get things started.
We were in the canyon for a little over three hours, taking breaks as needed and eating our snacks on perches with good views. When we saw the sky ladder, we knew we were close to the end. We sat in silence afterward, feeling accomplished and famished. We got pizza immediately afterward and pizza has never tasted so good.
We ended our trip with a dip in the hot springs. I’d heard of at least three different options in Ouray, but the one with the most buzz was Orvis Hot Springs, located about eight miles out of town toward Ridgway.
These hot springs were beautiful. Natural stones, a variety of pool sizes and temperatures, plenty of grass to lay out on if you feel overheated, complimentary tea and coffee — in my opinion, it puts Glenwood Springs’ pools to shame. There’s a lobster bath and a cold plunge pool just steps away from each other, and we were one among many taking trips back and forth between the two. There’s a quiet area and two large pools that could each comfortably fit more than 20 people each. There’s even an indoor pool, which we found right as we were going to leave, and we had it all to ourselves. The whole place, but especially the vacant indoor pool, felt like a well-kept secret that we were trusted with from the locals.
One tiny detail worth noting is that the Orvis Hot Springs are clothing optional. When I heard it, I didn’t think much of it, but when I walked in and saw it, it hit a little different. Still, a beautiful spot that I’d definitely return to. I have no pictures to share of this one considering the no clothing thing, so just go see it for yourself!
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TLDR version: Things I learned while camping:
You need not just firewood but a fire starter too. And a long lighter. And patience.
It’s true when they say that everything tastes better in the mountains. We made a fancied-up version of ramen noodles by the fire that tasted gourmet at the time. I tried to recreate it when I got home and was rather disappointed.
You don’t realize how quiet it can be until you’re back in the loud.
Love it. Can't wait for more. You are such a travel writer... Like you could go to Delaware and the way you'd write about it would make me feel like I was seeing God.