Ouray, Colorado
Boxed in by the majestic San Juan Mountains, Ouray (elevation 7810 ft) sits at the bottom of a glacially carved valley. Prospectors established the town in the 1870s, but larger mining companies quickly came in and took over the gold mines, extracting over one million ounces of gold from the surrounding area. Tourism has since taken over as the town’s primary economy. Commonly known as the “Switzerland of America,” Ouray is dominated by natural beauty. In the outdoor community, Ouray is best known as one of country’s ice climbing capitals. Ouray Ice Park – a pristine gorge, watered by a piping system to create perfect blue waterfall ice during the winter months – is a short walk from town. Beginner or expert, one certainly can’t dismiss the brilliance of being able to swing your tools in bullet-hard ice all day, then walk to a pub just 15 minutes away. Ouray’s famous hot springs are located north of town and boast 1,000,000 gallons of sulfur-free, pristine mineral water. Hot or cold, Ouray is a landmark Colorado destination.
Recent Articles
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Finding the Lost City of the Lukachukais
Lost cities don’t exist. They are confined to the bottoms of oceans and 19th-century jungles. As children, we all eventually give up on looking for buried treasure in backyards, or undiscovered, ancient ruins down the block because at this point humanity has been around long enough to stumble over most of them. Long before I […]
Maps
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Imogene Pass Colorado – Places I’ve Never Been
Imogene Pass has eluded me. Although I’ve been planning a trip to ride up to Imogene’s 13,114-foot marker for some time now, I still have never been over this treacherous pass in the San Juan Mountains. High elevation backroads draw me in like glaciated mountains used to when I was a younger mountaineer. I have […]
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Map of Colorado’s Legendary Fourteeners
If you like high summits, consider moving to Colorado and making it your base camp for years of peak bagging. Colorado even tops Alaska for the number of peaks over 14,000 feet. Sure, there are higher and harder mountains up north, but Colorado has more attainable summits to choose from and a longer climbing season […]
Featured Mountains in Ouray
| Mountain | Approx. Elevation |
|---|---|
| Whitehouse Mountain | 13,510 ft (4,118 m) |
| Twin Peaks | 10,873 ft (3,314 m) |
| Trico Peak | 13,300 ft (4,054 m) |
| Sister Peak | 10,282 ft (3,134 m) |
| Mount Sneffels | 14,150 ft (4,313 m) |
| Miller Mesa | 9,216 ft (2,809 m) |
| Hayden Mountain | 13,215 ft (4,028 m) |
| Cascade Mountain | 11,640 ft (3,548 m) |
| Baldy Peak | 10,574 ft (3,223 m) |
| Abrams Mountain | 12,812 ft (3,905 m) |