Colorado Spotlight: Ouray, Jeep Capital of the World



Posted: Friday, March 16, 2007

by
Cedar View Travel

Colorado offers the traveler a panorama of activities and delights for all ages and to suit all tastes. That is not an exaggeration! There’s not another small town in Colorado that offers the variety of things to see and to do and one-day trips through the most spectacular mountain scenery. Whether you’re a single person looking for the physically challenging activity or the mom and dad wanting to share age-appropriate recreation and excitement with your children, Ouray , Colorado , meets those needs. A week is not too long to schedule for this “Gem of the Rockies ."

You may discover your greatest challenge is to do all you want to do in a week. So, what will it be today? For certain, it will begin early. If only once in your lifetime you take a brisk jog or a meandering stroll just as the sun rises over the surrounding peaks, you’ll know that the next few days in Ouray will begin early. Then indulge in one of the finest breakfasts available anywhere. What next? Take a walk down to the Natural Hot Springs Pool for the morning, or reserve that for later to soak out the knots in our legs from backpacking one of the many hiking trails? Or take a Jeep tour over Imogene Pass at 13,000 plus elevation, have a snowball fight, and then tour the gift and rock shops? OK, get the picture? Ouray is the center for fun and excitement for all.

Granted, the majority of activities are outdoors, but the rock and gift shops offer gems and art, and it’s never very far to a hot tub or nature slide show. Even though this mountain hamlet with a population of approximately 800 swells to a few thousand visitors a day during the peak summer days, that doesn’t mean that there’s no quiet and solitude for the weary of body and soul looking for some healing. Quiet aspen and spruce groves and cascading waterfalls provide a wonderful balm and escape from the stresses of our hectic lifestyle. And again, the natural hot springs work wonders!

This is one little town of Western Colorado , tucked back in a box canyon, that is just plain hard to beat. Do your research first ( http://www.cedarviewresources.com in the articles section) Check the calendar of events. Look over the providers of jeep trips and gold mine tours. If you’re really adventurous, rent your own Jeep. Don’t overlook the neighboring communities that provide interesting day trips into the past gold and silver booms, legendary ski resorts, first-class Indian ruins of Mesa Verde, and the Durango-Silverton narrow-gauge train.

Is camping your thing? KOA hosts a beautiful camp north of town along the Uncompahgre River and the US Forest Service provides camp sites south of town with a bird’s eye view of the valley below and canyon walls surrounding the valley. Now there’s just no excuse! Plan a week, or at least 3 or 4 days to savor the beauty of Ouray. This is one place you will want to revisit, guaranteed!

This Article has been viewed 268 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.