Did the entire Perimeter Trail the other day...clocked 6.2 miles in just under 4 hours…read more Started in the am at the trailhead located in the parking lot across from the Ouray Visitor's Center (which I highly recommend). You'll understand as you begin your final descent. As you start your initial ascent and climb the wood stairs into the hillside, enter the cliff path...a .8 mile slightly narrower trail than I'd prefer and a drop-off...but hey, the views are stunning! You can see the Ouray Hot Springs and more! As you keep on trekkin' on you'll start to "hear" before you make it to the gorgeous Cascade Falls!!! Chill, explore...even hike up behind the falls if that's your thing! I think I was pretty "ok" until we passed through the tunnel after the upper Box Canyon Bridge. We almost took a bail-out trail back into town along the way but persevered. There are actually a few bail-outs along the trail. Anyway, there were some sketchy narrow, steep, rocky-dusty-slidy, drop-off sections along the trail that gave me the heebie-jeebies. If you have a fear of heights, this may not be for you. For the majority of hikers out there I'm sure it's easy, but nonetheless make sure you go prepared. 1. Depending on what time you hike, be sure to eat a healthy meal before you go and bring some extra snacks just in case. 2. Signage isn't the best and is lacking "you are here", so I'd recommend taking a photo of the trail map before you head out. 3. Staying properly hydrated is key along the trail. If you've got a camelback that's great! 4. Take breaks when needed and don't feel pressured by any of your overzealous hiking buddies...it's supposed to be fun, safe and not a competition. 5. A walking stick or trekking poles can prove very helpful! Many people leave sticks at the trailhead(s). If you use one be sure to leave it behind for the next person. 6. Wear appropriate shoes for hiking. Yeah some peeps can hike in Croc's or Chaco's, but not highly recommended. Enjoy the trail, be safe, and take some pix! The views are beautiful! Be Happy Outside!

This is a must do hike, plan to take about 5 hours or more if you take side trips. You will have…read moregreat views of the city, mountain ranges on all sides, Canyon views, waterfalls, an aspen grove, a tunnel, various bridges, some narrow heart pumping areas on the west side, and views of the rock climbers along the via Ferrata

Ouray, Colorado is also known as the "Switzerland of America." At this lookout point you get a…read morepicturesque view of the city and an opportunity to grab a photo in front of this sign. Ouray sits in a deep valley at 7,792 feet above sea level. The jagged, snow-capped peaks of the San Juan Mountains that encircle the town give Ouray its resemblance to the Swiss Alps. It is a great town to visit, especially if you are an outdoor enthusiast and a fan of hot springs. The Switzerland of America Lookout Point sign is located on the Million Dollar Highway about a mile and a half south of town. It is a popular photo spot for tourists. The Million Dollar Highway is a 25-mile mountain road with stunning views that runs between the towns of Ouray and Silverton. We were able to spend some time in Ouray before driving the Million Dollar Highway. We visited Box Canyon and enjoyed some time in a hot spring.

Stopped at this lookout point for a rest to stretch our legs. There is a wide area where you can…read morepull over to enjoy the sights. Birds soaring overhead, the pretty blue sky, the town below and the mountains. Pretty, pretty mountain. Majestic and beautiful. We took some lovely photos against the backdrop of the mountains. Looking at them brings back the fun adventure we had on our road trip. I encourage you to stop and take some of your own. Make your own memories. There's also an informational board so you can read more about the history of the area.

I was able to return to take Mount Sneffles which has been on my bucket list of 14ers. I ascended…read morevia the standard rout (not blue lakes) which starts from a different trailhead:the yankee boy basin. If you have a good car you can get to the outhouse easily. I did this in my Subaru Crosstrek and car camped overnight. The outhouse actually is functional and very nice! The standard route is about 6 miles round trip with over 3K elevation gain. You walk about 2 miles up the road, then go straight up a bunch of scree. It's not technical, but was daunting. I thought it would be worse going down than it was in reality. After this section, veer left up a fun class 2 scramble to the top of a gully. Then go left again right before the top to the famous V notch. Not as scary as I thought it would be although a very nice person was helpful with descending as it's best to go through backwards. Then there is a short class 3 scramble to the summit with beautiful and rewarding views. You can see the blue lakes and mountains as far as the eye can see. This is a very special mountain and I met lots of nice people at the top! Id highly recommend this hike for anyone progressing to class 3s as it's a fairly easy one.

We ventured up Mount Sneffels last week. It is considered an "easy class 3" 14er. We opted to go…read moreup the standard route (south slopes) which starts at Yankee Boy Basin trailhead. However to get to the trailhead you will need 4WD nd high clearance vehicle. If you dont have that you will either need to park at the bottom of the road or at the lower lot. Exposure and rockfall potential is considerable. Route finding and commitment is moderate. From the lower lot parking lot, you would start at 11350 feet elevation and will end at 14150 feet elevation. From the lower lot, round trip length of this trail is 6 miles. This trail was tough. once you get to the actual trail head, you will have around .5 mile of okay trail and then 1.2 miles of lots of scree and loose rock. You need to bring a helmet for this hike. People can kick down rocks above you or they could just fall loose. Poles would also be highly recommended. I normally do not hike with poles (well ever) and i was wishing i had them for this hike. My knees actually hurt on this one on the way down. It was one of the most challenging experiences i have completed but it was extremely rewarding. The views from the top were like no other. It was undescribable. So amazing. My top peaks would be this one or uncompaghre, just be sure that you are up for the challenge as it is VERY physically challenging.

Located on Main Street inside a building with other businesses and amazing employees…read more Max was our guide and he was just absolutely fabulous. He had so much knowledge and patience. We went to do the Via Ferrata and holy Molly was it challenging at parts. They say that you don't need experience to do this, to an extent I can agree. What you need is a whole lot of upper body strength and flexibility. Me being a fun sized gal, some of the steps (forgot the proper name) were too high to reach. Came to find out that one of the creators of this area is 6'7" (no wonder I couldn't reach them lol). Overall it was such a fantastic experience that made me use my mental and physical strength. Thank you Max for all the encouragement and help.

If I could give this experience more than 5 stars, I would…read more The Golden Mountain Via Ferrata with Basecamp was, without question, one of the best adventures I've ever had. From the very beginning, Rex made the entire booking process effortless. He was incredibly knowledgeable, honest, genuine, and took the time to answer every question without ever making us feel pressured. You can tell he truly cares about giving people an unforgettable experience. Our guide, Cal, absolutely made the day. We laughed from start to finish, and his energy, confidence, and encouragement made all the difference. I'm not someone who naturally loves heights or considers myself much of a climber, but there wasn't a single moment where I wasn't having an amazing time. What impressed me most was how safe I felt the entire experience. It's wild to think you're hundreds of feet above the ground, yet the equipment, route design, and professionalism of the Basecamp team gave me complete confidence every step of the way. The Via Ferrata itself is a masterpiece. Whether you're a beginner looking for an exciting first adventure or someone wanting to challenge yourself on more difficult routes, Golden Mountain offers the perfect balance. Every section is thoughtfully designed, the scenery is breathtaking, and the entire experience is simply unforgettable. This was easily one of the highlights of my year, and I honestly can't recommend Basecamp enough. They exceeded every expectation from start to finish. The Golden Mountain Via Ferrata truly lives up to its name.

Read about this road on a friend's travel link. He had been on it years ago and decided to add this…read moreto our itinerary. We started out on the Montrose end, south of Ridgway. It was not too bad at first but then it got a little dicey where vehicle wheels had made deep ruts in the mud which then dried. Some water puddles in spots. Rocky and gravel in others. We encountered a lot of vehicles to me. A convoy of jeeps and two trucks on their own trips, it made for a dusty drive and we held off so we could see the view without the dust clouds blocking it. And it was narrow in spots where if a vehicle was coming from the other direction we would have been stuck. Steep grades too. The positives? It was like a fairy land in spots. With fall leaves softly falling in the wind and the aspens pressing in on both sides. Then the dark green pines in forbidding rows. The overlooks with breathtaking scenery of colors - browns, greens and yellows. Houses here and there. We stopped and accidentally found the property where scenes from True Grit had been filmed. I was constantly charmed by the lovely magical feel of the woods. And then scared at the drive itself. It felt like woods where elves live. Then we were through to the Telluride side. Such an amazing experience. Im glad he's such a great driver and navigated us safely on the route. I'll never forget that gorgeous drive.

Beautiful views and easy access! It's a great spot to stop and take a walk.read more

Walking distance from the heart of Ouray, the ice park is truly an incredible amenity. A great…read moreplace to start your ice climbing journey. There's a wide variety of difficulties available and lots of stable places to anchor from. It's not for the faint of heart. If you're not rappelling into the park, the only option is to down climb one of a few "canyon access" trails. There are guide ropes to help with stability, but these access trails are steep and in my opinion scarier than the climbs! Helmets and crampons are required starting at the canyon access trails. There's also great viewing opportunities from one of the many bridges in the park for those who don't climb. It's a fun place to grab some pictures and comment about how cold all the climbers look. Overall I highly recommend this breathtaking place in the winter!

What a place! Great intro to ice climbing environment, very easy to set up top ropes. They have…read moreouthouses, a shop, lots of climbs from beginner to difficult. Thank you for being such a great amenity to the community!

Handies peak is a beautiful and easy class 1 in the San Juan's. My group and I did this one the day…read moreafter Redcloud & Sunshine, so it was nice to have a shorter day. It's less than 3K elevation and I clocked 6 miles round trip, granted the elevation builds quickly during those 3 miles to the summit. It was so beautiful that my two friends declared it was one of their top three favorite 14ers that they've done! The view at the top is stunning, with gorgeous scenery and breathtaking vistas along the way. You can make a very short detour and even visit a lovely alpine lake. The hardest part of the hike is accessing it. We were already parked along cimaron pass at our campsite, but it took an additional 40 minutes or so to drive from Redcloud trailhead to Handies. I made it in my Crosstrek but there were a couple of truly sketchy spots and a very very bumpy ride. No bathrooms at the trailhead and not much coverage to duck into the woods so keep that in mind. A must do for every 14er fanatic or ambitious hiker!

Handies peak! I have dreamed about hiking this one for several years in the summer when…read morewildflowers are blooming but distance kept me away. Planned a 5 day stay up in the lake city/san juan area so we could knock it out. I finally did it and it did not disappoint. We took the Handies via grizzly gulch which is the non standard route and it is longer than the american basin route. The road getting to grizzly gulch from lake city was rough. lots of pot holes and jutting rocks. Also narrow stretches with drop offs on the side. ATVs and jeeps like to zip down the road at the speed of light and there are not a lot of pull offs along the way. I made it with my honda pilot but it was SLOW going. plan extra time for this road. (cimmaron pass) We were initially going to go to american basin but after the long drive to get to grizzly gulch i just didn't have it in me to do another 4-5 miles on even rougher road. There is a bathroom at the Trailhead. There are no trash cans or dog poop bags however so be sure to pack out whatever you pack in (including your dog poop)! This trail is a class 1. Though that does not mean it is "easy" by any means. However we did enjoy the first half or little more of the trail that had dirt trails and step ups. The trail was very well maintained. Currently in july there are fields of lovely wildflowers that are so abundant and in a variety of colors. Also there is a stream for a chunk of it that you will walk near. As you ascend further up, it begins to get rocky and there is scree near the top. As you merge on to the peak, you will meet up with all the hikers from american basin standard approach which is substantially more. So the peak may seem a little crowded. On our trek, we only saw maybe 6 other people. The flowers along the way and then the view at the top was all breathtaking! So thankful to have finally gotten to complete this peak!

Ouray has done it again this stunning friendly town never disappoints from their fantastic stores…read moreto a cute and cozy dog park. We stay in the RV park that's next door to this dog park it's always busy so we were very lucky to have a day of freezing weather to take our two dogs Mimi and Bart over to play in it. It's quiet small and by no means is it a brand new dog park but the views outweigh the conditions of this dog park and it gives peoples dogs a place to play. My hope is that someone who works for the town of Ouray decides that the town dog park could use a face lift.

Great park but it is small. I think best for dogs that don't like to run and fetch…read more I will go back but it is too small for my dog. This makes it so I have to throw the ball more times because he is running a shorter distance.