Ouray was established in the late 1800s as a silver and gold mining town. The town is located in southwest Colorado in the San Juan Mountains. Ouray celebrates itself as the “Switzerland of America” because it is surrounded by dramatic mountains. The area has amazing scenery, including Box Canyon Waterfall and Yankee Boy Basin. Ouray is also known for the many hot springs options, which are sulfur-free (AKA they don’t stink).
All of Main Street is a National Historic District. Buildings from the 1800s are now restaurants, bars, shops, galleries, and boutiques.
Ouray boasts five local hot springs resorts. Travelers and locals adventure during the day, and then relax and recover at the hot springs in the evenings. The most popular include the Ouray Hot Springs Pool, which just celebrated its 90th birthday with a major renovation. Another great options is the Wiesbaden Hot Springs.
The Million Dollar Highway begins in Ouray and takes travelers to Durango and Silverton. The drive is consistently recognized as one of the most beautiful in the country. Many tourists enjoy exploring the landscape by 4x4 as there are numerous jeep trails. In the winter, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and ice climbing are popular activities. In fact, Ouray is known as the ice climbing capital of the US.
Winters are long, cold, and snowy. Winters are popular for tourists who come for the ice climbing and stay for the hot springs.
Springs can see the heaviest snow storms of the year. Late spring is considered the off-season as the weather is too warm for winter sports and too cool for summer exploring.
Summers are beautiful and sunny, with daily highs typically hitting the uppers 70s. Summer is a very popular tourist season.
Early fall is nice for the changing of the leaves. Days are mild and nighttime is cool.