Ouray, Colorado

[GoHorns]

Reservation at the 4J+1 RV park in June... What should be on our "must do" list?

TIA

[Floridafrances]

Lots of great advice. We had a great time in Ouray back in 2011. Some of the unpaved roads we took with our Jeep would be fine for your pickup, but a few might be a bit tight in the turns for you. I'm sure 4runnerguy and others more familiar with that area could advise you on that.

So many beautiful places out there, hard to narrow it down. We haven't been back yet, but plan to. Maybe next year.

Have fun and travel safe.

[Lauren]

Ouray -- one of our favorite places for lots of reasons. We go from 7 days to maybe 14-16 days in Sept and hunt for gold. Nuggets? No, aspen! I do a lot of photography and that is prime time - but anytime is great.

We stay at the KOA - do not recommend the 4J+1 -- nice advantage of being in town but spacing & roads very tight. The KOA gets very high ratings and deservedly so.

Not going to start yet another discussion on driving Hwy 550 from Ouray to Silverton. I do not recommend it with an RV at all and for drivers who are mountain driving experienced. Good 2 lane road but sections with no shoulder, no guard rail and straight down. Yes, maybe you will be fine but how about the guy coming against you who isn't and takes his half out of the middle?

That being said, it is one of the most beautiful drives you will ever take.

We will be in Ouray for 10 days in Sept again this year.

[Busskipper]

4runnerguy wrote:
How long are you there? I could give you two weeks worth of stuff pretty easily.

With your 4x4, you can get quite a ways up Yankee Boy Basin SW of Ouray. Amazing wildflower displays. Usually I recommend July, but it's been such a low snow year, I'm guessing June will be great.

As mentioned, you can also get to Animas Forks above Silverton without problem. Interesting ghost town that they have started work on preserving some of the houses.

Like hiking? Park just past the first tunnel out of Ouray and hike the Mineral Creek Trail. An old trail the miners used to access workings up the drainage. Etched right into the side of the mountain. Check it out on Google Street view, as someone hiked the trail with one of their 360 cameras on their back. The first mile or so are the most unique, although the flowers are better further up.

A day trip to Telluride is worth the time, even if the town itself has gotten way too "Aspenized" if you know what I mean. At the roundabout when you get into town, take the first right and you'll find a big parking lot four or five blocks down on the right. From there, you can catch one of the free shuttle buses around town. There's a free gondola from Telluride up to Mountain Village. We've only used it to get our mountain bikes up the hill so we really haven't poked around Mountain Village much. But the views alone make the ride well worth your time (and you can't beat the cost!)

Do continue through Telluride and check out Bridal Veil Falls. You can hike to the power station if you have the lungs and legs for it.

As noted, don't miss the Ouray Pool. Just remodeled in the last year or so. We haven't been there since, but it's always been one of our favorites.

Read what Ken said in a much older post
https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/22408872/gotomsg/22439898.cfm#22439898
,



:W

[Jay_Pat]

RAS43 wrote:

Jay Pat wrote:


To compliment the mining exhibit at the Ouray museum, there is a real mine tour just south of Ouray on the right side (look for small sign).

In Ridgway (about 5 miles south of Ouray) there is a small railroad museum. They are expecting a brand new replica steam locomotive.
Pat

Ridgway is North of Ouray as is the mine tour. And they are worth a visit IMO. South of Ouray is Red Mountain Pass, a beautiful drive, especially in the fall.

Nuts!
My mistake.
Thanks for the correction.
Pat

[rexlion]

A jeep tour over Black Bear Pass is on my bucket list.

[RAS43]

Jay Pat wrote:


To compliment the mining exhibit at the Ouray museum, there is a real mine tour just south of Ouray on the right side (look for small sign).

In Ridgway (about 5 miles south of Ouray) there is a small railroad museum. They are expecting a brand new replica steam locomotive.
Pat

Ridgway is North of Ouray as is the mine tour. And they are worth a visit IMO. South of Ouray is Red Mountain Pass, a beautiful drive, especially in the fall.

[Desert_Captain]

We love Ouray and all of the southern rockies... We are headed back up there next week.

This is a test pic {Photobucket has been holding my pics for ransom which I finally negotiated down to $20 and paid} of our rig parked in Ouray:



The Wiesbaden Spa is one of our favorite stops in town and do not miss therir "Grotto" {check the web for pics and info}. You can pay a day use fee to enjoy their facilities when you pass through town.... just two blocks up the hill from the Ouray Brewery.

:C

[fanrgs]

A couple of other scenic drives you can take without a jeep are the Owl Creek Pass road east of Ridgway and the Last Dollar Road from near the top of Dallas Divide to Sawpit/Placerville on CO 145 to Telluride. East of Owl Creek Pass is Silver Jack Reservoir and the unique Cockscomb Ridge formation and the road continues all the way to US 50 near Morrow Point Dam and Black Canyon NP.

[4runnerguy]

How long are you there? I could give you two weeks worth of stuff pretty easily.

With your 4x4, you can get quite a ways up Yankee Boy Basin SW of Ouray. Amazing wildflower displays. Usually I recommend July, but it's been such a low snow year, I'm guessing June will be great.

As mentioned, you can also get to Animas Forks above Silverton without problem. Interesting ghost town that they have started work on preserving some of the houses.

Like hiking? Park just past the first tunnel out of Ouray and hike the Mineral Creek Trail. An old trail the miners used to access workings up the drainage. Etched right into the side of the mountain. Check it out on Google Street view, as someone hiked the trail with one of their 360 cameras on their back. The first mile or so are the most unique, although the flowers are better further up.

A day trip to Telluride is worth the time, even if the town itself has gotten way too "Aspenized" if you know what I mean. At the roundabout when you get into town, take the first right and you'll find a big parking lot four or five blocks down on the right. From there, you can catch one of the free shuttle buses around town. There's a free gondola from Telluride up to Mountain Village. We've only used it to get our mountain bikes up the hill so we really haven't poked around Mountain Village much. But the views alone make the ride well worth your time (and you can't beat the cost!)

Do continue through Telluride and check out Bridal Veil Falls. You can hike to the power station if you have the lungs and legs for it.

As noted, don't miss the Ouray Pool. Just remodeled in the last year or so. We haven't been there since, but it's always been one of our favorites.

[azrving]

South side of town has a steel walkway that goes back into the rock crevasses. They do ice climbing in there during the winter. Animas Forks ghost town is further south of Ouray. If it rains go to the east side of town where the water fall forms sending water through the stream and culvert that goes through town.

[Jay_Pat]

Off Pavement wrote:
The Ouray County Museum is well worth a visit!. Considered to be one of the nations top small town museums by the Smithsonian Institute... http://www.ouraycountyhistoricalsociety.org/

To compliment the mining exhibit at the Ouray museum, there is a real mine tour just south of Ouray on the right side (look for small sign).

In Ridgway (about 5 miles south of Ouray) there is a small railroad museum. They are expecting a brand new replica steam locomotive.

In Silverton there is a very nice museum with a lot of mine stuff and a jail with a tour.

In Silverton, 3 or 4 Steam trains will start arriving before lunch and about 40 min apart. Train Depot and other rail car displays next door.

NE out of Silverton there is the 100 Goldmine Tour and the Mayflower Gold Mill (self guided).

About the jeep rentals, you will get dusty unless you find/rent an enclosed jeep.
Pat

[khager76248]

We like to rent a jeep and take an adventure over one of the Passes nearby. We have done Imogene Pass, and Ophir pass.

[Off_Pavement]

The Ouray County Museum is well worth a visit!. Considered to be one of the nations top small town museums by the Smithsonian Institute... http://www.ouraycountyhistoricalsociety.org/

[Thom02099]

GoHorns wrote:
Reservation at the 4J+1 RV park in June... What should be on our "must do" list?

TIA

If you are comfortable with high altitude driving, US 550 from Ouray to Silverton, and on to Durango if you'd like, is a must.

In Ouray, there's the hot springs. A nice soak is always enjoyable.

There are Jeep rentals and/or tours available, to take advantage of the many 4x4 roads in the general area.

A day trip over to Telluride would be a good day. Same thing for a drive up to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. More adventurous? Head up to Grand Junction and check out the Colorado National Monument west of GJ.