Ouray, the Switzerland of America
Ouray, CO
San Juan Mountains, CO
A tiny Victorian mining town wedged into the head of a box canyon, walled in on three sides by 13,000-foot peaks, with waterfalls in its cliffs and hot springs at its feet.
Few towns have a setting like Ouray's. It sits at the very head of a narrow valley in the San Juan Mountains, where the peaks draw in so tightly that the town seems tucked into a stone amphitheater, walls of rock and forest rising steeply on three sides. Early visitors thought it looked like a village in the Alps, and the nickname stuck: Ouray, the Switzerland of America.
It began as a silver and gold mining camp in the 1870s, named for a respected chief of the Ute people, and it kept its handsome Victorian main street as the mines faded. Today the draw is the scenery and the mountains all around: waterfalls hidden in the cliffs, hot springs bubbling up at the valley floor, rugged jeep roads climbing to old mines and wildflower basins, and one of the most spectacular mountain drives in America leading in and out of town.
What Guests Love
- The jaw-dropping box-canyon setting ringed by peaks
- Waterfalls tucked right into the cliffs above town
- Soaking in the natural hot springs after a day outdoors
- The drive in on the spectacular Million Dollar Highway
Worth Knowing
- Ouray sits at about 7,800 feet in steep mountains, so take the altitude and fast-changing weather seriously
- The Million Dollar Highway into town is stunning but steep, winding, and without guardrails in places; drive it slowly
- Many of the backcountry jeep roads and high trails are open only in summer once the snow clears
- In winter the town becomes a famous destination for ice climbers at the Ouray Ice Park
Details
San Juan Mountains, CO
Learn about Ouray, the Switzerland of America
A town in a box canyon
Ouray fills the flat floor at the head of its valley, and the mountains do the rest. Cliffs and peaks rise steeply on nearly every side, so that from an overlook above town the whole place appears cupped in stone, its grid of Victorian streets tiny against the surrounding walls. It is this hemmed-in, vertical setting that gives Ouray its Alpine feeling and its famous nickname.
The compact town has kept the look of its mining heyday, with brick storefronts and old hotels lining the main street, framed always by the peaks above. It makes an easy and beautiful base: everything worth seeing is close, and the mountains are never out of sight.
Waterfalls, hot springs, and jeep trails
For its size, Ouray packs in an extraordinary amount to do. Box Canyon Falls thunders through a narrow slot in the rock right at the edge of town, and the Perimeter Trail circles the whole valley with overlooks of waterfalls and cliffs. After a day out, the town's hot springs pool offers a soak in naturally heated mineral water with the peaks overhead.
Above town, rugged four-wheel-drive roads climb to old mines, high passes, and basins like Yankee Boy that fill with wildflowers in summer, making Ouray a legendary hub for jeeping and off-road exploring. In winter the frozen cliffs of a nearby gorge become the Ouray Ice Park, drawing ice climbers from around the world.
The Million Dollar Highway
The road to Ouray is a destination in itself. The Million Dollar Highway, the stretch of U.S. 550 that climbs south from town over Red Mountain Pass toward Silverton, is one of the most dramatic drives in the country, hanging on cliff edges above deep valleys, past old mines and waterfalls, often with no guardrail between the pavement and the drop.
It is part of the larger San Juan Skyway, a loop through some of Colorado's highest and most colorful mountains. Whether you arrive from the north through the ranch country around Ridgway or climb in from the south over the passes, the approach delivers you to Ouray the way the town deserves, through spectacular high country to a village cradled in the peaks.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near San Juan Mountains
Box Canyon Falls
At the edge of town
A powerful waterfall roaring through a narrow rock slot, reached by walkways and a bridge right in Ouray.
The Million Dollar Highway
South from town
A breathtaking cliff-hugging stretch of U.S. 550 over Red Mountain Pass toward Silverton, part of the San Juan Skyway.
Ouray Hot Springs Pool
In town
A large pool fed by natural hot springs at the north edge of town, ringed by mountain views.
The Perimeter Trail
Around town
A loop trail circling the valley above Ouray, passing overlooks, waterfalls, and views down onto the town.