Best Things to Do in Ouray, Colorado: What I Recommend
What I've found worth doing after
more than two months in and around Ouray.
Words by Michele Underwood | Photos by Michele and Andrew
Looking down on Ouray from above — one of the views you get hiking even part of the Perimeter Trail.
I've been in this part of Colorado for more than two months now, and I'm still finding new things to do around Ouray.
That's one of the things I've really liked about being here for more than just a few days. I've had time to explore without feeling like I need to fit everything into one weekend. I've hiked, spent time around town, learned a lot more about the mining history and found a few things I probably wouldn't have known about before coming here.
I'll keep adding to this list as I explore more, but these are the things I've done so far that I think are worth making time for.
Hike the Ouray Perimeter Trail — Or Part of It
You don't necessarily have to hike the entire Perimeter Trail to enjoy it. I've done it in parts.
The trail circles Ouray for about 5.6 miles and climbs and descends roughly 1,800 feet along the way. One of the things I like about it is that there are several places where you can get on or off, so you can hike the entire loop or choose a section depending on how much time you have. There are some pretty steep areas along the way, too, so don't assume that because it circles town it's an easy walk.
The trail gets you above town pretty quickly, with views down into Ouray and out toward the mountains surrounding it. Along the full route, you pass four waterfalls, including Cascade Falls, along with the Baby Bathtubs, Portland Creek and the gorge at Box Canyon. There are also bridges, some really cool rock formations and historical pieces around the Box Canyon section.
It's a pretty cool trail and one of the most popular hikes in Ouray. Even if you don't want to hike the entire loop, I think it's worth doing at least part of it while you're here.
Hike to the Dinosaur Tracks Above Ouray
Some of the 134 consecutive sauropod footprints at the West Gold Hill Tracksite — dinosaur tracks in the rock, no museum required.
This was one of the more unexpected things I found to do in Ouray. The West Gold Hill Dinosaur Tracksite sits high above town and contains 134 consecutive footprints made by a long-necked sauropod around 150 million years ago. It's considered the longest known continuous sequence of sauropod footprints in the world.
You have to hike to get to the tracks, and the site sits at around 9,300 feet. It's not an easy hike because you're climbing for most of the two miles up, with very few flat sections along the way.
The hike is really pretty as you climb, and if you look across the mountainside, you can see remnants of Ouray's mining history. Gold Hill was heavily mined, and old mine buildings are still visible high on the mountain. Mines in this area included the Wanakah, Jonathan, Schofield and American Nettie mines. It's pretty amazing to look across and see where people were mining on these steep mountainsides.
Once you reach the tracksite, you can follow the footprints across the exposed rock and see where the dinosaur made a large turn before continuing on. What I think is so cool is that the tracks are still right there in the rock where the dinosaur walked millions of years ago. You're not looking at something that was removed and put inside a museum. You're standing in the mountains above Ouray looking at the actual footprints.
It took me around two hours to do and on the down, I ran a bit.
Visit the Ouray County Historical Museum
If you want to understand more about Ouray and its mining history, go to the Ouray County Historical Museum in town.
The museum is in the old St. Joseph's Miners' Hospital, built in the 1880s to care for miners and other people living in the area. It remained a hospital until 1964, and some of the old doctors’ offices and medical setups are still there as they were when the building was being used as a hospital.
There is a lot more inside than I expected. The museum has three floors filled with exhibits about mining, railroads, ranching and what life was like in Ouray when the town was developing. There is even a miniature walk-through mine that gives you a better idea of what working underground would have been like.
I especially liked seeing the mining exhibits after spending so much time around the old mines and mining roads in the mountains surrounding Ouray. Between those exhibits and the old hospital rooms, you get a much better picture of what life here would have been like when mining was such a big part of the area.
Give yourself some time to walk through it. A lot is packed into the old hospital, and it's one of the places I'd recommend visiting while you're in Ouray.
See Box Canyon Falls
The sign marking Box Cañon Falls — you hike down into the canyon itself to get close to the water. (Photo: Andrew W. via Unsplash)
Box Cañon Falls is one of those places in Ouray that I knew I wanted to see while I was there. The waterfall drops into a narrow quartzite canyon, and you walk into the canyon to get a closer look at it.
What makes this waterfall different from so many others around Ouray is the setting. You're down inside the canyon with the rock walls rising around you, and you can hear the water before you get a good view of the falls. As you get closer, it gets louder and you start to feel the spray coming off the water.
It doesn't take a big hike to see it, either, which makes Box Cañon Falls an easy stop to add while you're spending time in Ouray. I liked that it was a completely different experience from the waterfalls I had been seeing from the road and on hikes around town.
Drive the Million Dollar Highway to Silverton
The Million Dollar Highway climbing toward Red Mountain Pass between Ouray and Silverton.
If you're visiting Ouray, I think you should drive the Million Dollar Highway to Silverton.
The roughly 25-mile stretch of US 550 starts climbing into the San Juan Mountains almost as soon as you leave Ouray and takes you over Red Mountain Pass before dropping into Silverton. I drove it in my Sprinter van, and before I went, I had heard plenty about the steep drop-offs, tight turns, and sections without guardrails.
There are definitely some exposed sections, especially driving from Ouray toward Silverton, but I wasn't terrified the entire time like I thought I might be. What I remember most is how beautiful the drive is.
You pass waterfalls, old mines, and abandoned mining structures, and the mountains around Red Mountain Pass turn these incredible shades of red and orange. There are places where you can look across the mountains and still see remnants of the mining communities that once filled this area.
I also prefer driving it from Ouray toward Silverton. You climb out of Ouray, go through the old mining country around Ironton and Red Mountain, cross Red Mountain Pass, and then descend into Silverton. For me, that direction makes the whole drive unfold in a really cool way.
I've driven plenty of beautiful roads in Colorado, but this is one I think you should do if you're staying in Ouray.
I've written a lot more about the drive in my Million Dollar Highway from Ouray to Silverton guide, including what the road is like, the drop-offs, where to stop, and the mining history you'll see along the way.
Visit the Ironton Ghost Town
If you're driving the Million Dollar Highway from Ouray toward Silverton, stop at the old Ironton townsite along the way.
Ironton was founded in 1883 during the mining boom and became an important supply and transportation point for the mines in the Red Mountain Mining District. Today, the town is gone, but several old buildings are still standing and you can walk around and explore what's left.
I think this is one of the coolest stops along the Million Dollar Highway because you can get out and walk through the remains of an old mining town instead of only seeing the mining history from the road. It's also interesting to think about how busy this area once was compared with how quiet it is now.
You can spend a little time exploring Ironton on its own, or make it the start of a hike to the historic Colorado Boy Mine. I did both, and I'm writing a separate hiking guide to the Ironton to Colorado Boy Mine hike with more about the trail and what you see along the way.
Visit the Ouray Bookshop
I always like finding a good independent bookstore when I'm traveling, and the Ouray Bookshop is worth stopping into while you're walking around town. It's not a huge bookstore, but the books are well curated, with a little bit of everything rather than shelves packed with titles.
What I liked most was the selection of books about Ouray and the surrounding area. There are books on local history, mining, the San Juan Mountains, hiking and other subjects tied to this part of Colorado. If you've been exploring around Ouray and want to learn more about the places you're seeing, this is a good place to look.
I write Overland Girl, where I share firsthand travel experiences across the American West — from desert landscapes and national parks to small towns layered with history. My work blends movement, place, and the stories that shape them.Some posts may include affiliate links to products or services I use on the road. If you choose to purchase through those links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. It helps support continued travel and storytelling. I only link to items I personally use or would use myself.