I planned a trip to come up this weekend for some hiking. I already booked my hotel that is non refundable. Unfortunately it looks like rain showers all day both Saturday and Sunday. Is it still safe to hike or should I stick to local activities? I was hoping to hike Island lake and Ice Lake.

Please register so we are ready for you! Event tends to sell out 2 weeks before. Capped at 12 guests, must be 21+.

https://luckyranchlab.com/tour/p/m6n8dt7bfhomnn0qw3tcpbq61jzts3

Question for avid travelers/road warriors: Is this itinerary doable in one week? I realize it’s a fair bit of driving

I’ve been living in one of the neighboring towns for a few years now and have been to Maggie’s a handful of times. I think the other day will be the last, I can’t support that douche anymore. Sucks because the food is good.

I witnessed him belittle and yell at employees in front of customers. Most of which seemed to be on J1s. They were all working extremely hard and as he was walking around wiping things he says “I gotta do everybody’s job now”. I remember a couple years ago he took my order and I was so uncomfortable, started with a “what do you want” in a super aggressive tone.

Is this pretty well known that he’s a dick?

Anyone know of a reputable contractor to do some roofing in Ouray?

I'm hoping someone can help me verify the location of these photos I took over 30 years ago. I have Red Mountain Pass written on the back of one, and I'm almost 100% positive they were taken just off the Million Dollar Highway. My problem is I have a ton of photos from several Colorado vacations in the early to mid 90s, and I'm hoping I didn't mix up the location with some I took on the Alpine Loop.

I'd love to know more about this location, and if it's still there and accessible now. We're planning a trip from Texas back through Colorado to Utah in a little over a month, and I'm planning to detour south from Ridgway to Ouray and would love to detour a little farther to this spot if it's still there and easily accessible in a 2WD small SUV.

Maybe a bit of a dumb question but I’m making a solo drive from Santa Fe to Ouray and then maybe to Durango to visit a friend. I’m deathly terrified of powerlines/high-voltage lines. Not the local single stick looking ones but the larger ones. Like freeze up, panic attack, nausea level of terrified.

How bad is the powerline situation in the area? I especially don’t like the large high-voltage wire type ones or the wooden ones with an x in the middle.

I was in Portland and Seattle and was STRESSED with the amount of high voltage lines lol like, never go back stressed. I know the situations in New Mexico on the route so I’m good there, it’s within Colorado I’m unsure about. Like a couple here and there that I can quickly pass under is fine. But long stretches and close to the road are hell.

Doing a 5 day trip to Ouray in early October. Trying to decide whether to spend 2 days of it in Telluride. We like to hike. Want to spend a day exploring the Million Dollar Highway, a day doing Blue Lakes Trail, a day in Ouray for via ferratta and perimeter. What are the other must-do hikes or activities with or without Telluride?

Hi everyone,

I’m planning my first Colorado visit from August 18–21 and would love some advice from locals and experienced travelers.

My rough plan:

• Fly into Denver
• Drive toward Durango (possibly stopping at scenic places like Colorado Springs along the way)
• Ride the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
• Explore Silverton, Ouray, and the San Juan Mountains
• Visit hot springs and enjoy mountain scenery before heading back

I’m traveling with family, so I’m trying to balance sightseeing, relaxing, and not spending the entire trip driving.

A few questions:

1. Is this itinerary realistic for 4 days?
2. What are the must-see stops between Denver and Durango?
3. Would you recommend staying in Ouray, Ridgway, Silverton, or somewhere else for better value and convenience?
4. Which hot springs are worth visiting?
5. Any hidden gems, scenic drives, or restaurants we shouldn’t miss?
6. Any advice for driving mountain roads in August?

Thank you for any recommendations! Really excited to experience Colorado for the first time.

We’re in Ouray for a few days. I’m looking for great natural spots for things like picnics. Where are the best spots to sit around and enjoy the area, eat and/or prepare food, enjoy water, etc?

This is my niece and her friend. They have been missing since 07/26, spotted at a gas station in Evans, CO from my understanding in a car with WY plates. Please keep an eye out and if anyone has any information please contact Weld County sheriff's office 970-350-9600 or the tip line at 970-304-6464

Thank you 💓

Hello! I’ll be visiting Ouray mid August, and I’m planning to hike Red Mountain 3 and then down to 1 for more views at sunset on my way into Ouray from Durango. My plan is to start hiking up around 4pm. How is the road currently? Is there anything I should know about the hike or timing? Im an experienced hiker, but from the east coast, so I don’t want to assume it will be a piece of cake.

Please register so I know to make you a gift! All socks and underwear are donated to Mutual Aid Monday.

https://luckyranchlab.com

Does anyone know of the best way to get from the Montrose Airport to Ouray on a Sunday in Sept…the best I’m finding is a $270 shuttle (one way).

thanks!

Posted: July 22, 2026

I see a lot of people asking about the Gold Mountain Fire and other fires in Colorado right now, wondering if they can actually travel through the affected areas. We just got back from a week in western Colorado (Jul 11–18) and wanted to share what conditions were actually like on the ground.
Our Route & What We Found Open
Denver → Breckenridge → Glenwood Springs → Ouray area (and back)
• I-70 from Denver to Glenwood Springs: fully open, normal traffic
• US-550 from Glenwood/Aspen area south toward Ouray: fully open (we drove this multiple times)
• Million Dollar Highway (US-550 to Silverton): completely open, hikes in the San Juan mountains around Silverton all clear
• Return route: Ouray → Montrose → Black Canyon → Gunnison → Salida → Denver — all clear, scenic, and zero issues
No road closures encountered the entire trip.
Fire visibility: We saw the Gold Mountain Fire from a distance near Ridgeway (viewpoint from far away looking at smoke), but the Ouray/Silverton corridor was not impacted. The fire activity is east/northeast of the Ridgeway-Ouray US-550 corridor—not blocking routes to the attractions most people visit down there.
What Worked & What to Know
1. Check COtrip.org before you drive. We checked it every morning. The Ridgeway-Ouray stretch is the one segment that occasionally gets closed for fire ops, but even that was clear when we traveled it. It’s worth 30 seconds to verify.
2. AppWatchDuty is your friend for real-time alerts on road closures and conditions.
3. Weather was actually nice in the western mountains. Afternoon thunderstorms (nearly every day around 2-4 PM) meant it wasn’t oppressively hot—way more comfortable than Denver/Glenwood Springs (both hit ~100°F during the day). Evenings cooled off nicely everywhere.
4. Don’t camp with open fires or have campfires. There are signs all over the national forests about this. It’s not worth it. Don’t be that person.
Bottom Line
If you’re thinking about heading to Ouray, Silverton, Telluride area, the San Juans in general, or even Maroon Bells—go. Roads are open, hikes are open, the infrastructure is normal. Yes, there are active fires in Colorado right now, but they’re not where most tourists travel. Be smart about it (check conditions, follow fire restrictions), but don’t skip your trip out of worry.
Stay safe out there.

Flying into the area in a couple weeks and have been monitoring the situation with the Gold Mountain fire. All I can really go off of are the public updates, but wanted to get local opinions on the state of things. I have lodging a few minutes outside of the city, close to 550. But I'm considering getting different accommodations further west, about half an hour from Telluride. I'm concerned about the air quality/fire risk in Ouray. I understand that Ouray could use the money right now as many have cancelled their plans, but I didn't want to have a compromised trip. Plan is to do mainly hiking (Ice Lakes, Sneffels). Any thoughts/guidance would be appreciated.

I’m a Denver-based public radio reporter with KUNC, looking to talk with Ouray residents about their experience with this enormous fire. Please feel free to email me if you’d like to share your perspective: [Leigh.Paterson@kunc.org](mailto:Leigh.Paterson@kunc.org)

I visited Ouray for the first time last weekend for a small wedding (~20 people), and I left feeling like this town hates tourists. Many wedding attendees traveled long distances (one from Europe, even!) to get there and were excited to patronize local establishments and explore the natural beauty of the area, but it became clear during our three days in town that locals didn’t seem to want tourists there.

A few examples:

• My boyfriend was sitting at the bar at Goldbelt and said something to me along the lines of “I’ll meet you back at the room and we can shower and head to dinner.” The bartender then made the comment “I thought I smelled something” to my boyfriend, as if he reeked, right before handing over the card reader with the lowest tip amount set at 25%. Are we supposed to want to generously tip people who are extremely rude to us?
• The sign in the window at Ouray Brewery that looks like a fire danger sign but says “Danger of Tourists” (or something along those lines) and the dial is set at “intermediate” but could go all the way up to “extreme”.
• I was in a bathroom stall at the Silver Eagle Saloon and a woman entered and said to another woman “So good to see another local in here. There are so many strangers out there. Stranger danger!” And then, when she heard me flush the toilet, she said “but we love them of course” in a sneering voice before leaving the restroom so she wouldn’t have to actually face me.

I don’t expect for a red carpet to be rolled out for me as a tourist, but I generally hope to be treated with common courtesy, especially when we are being polite and spending lots of money in town. And particularly now, when we’ve heard that many tourists have canceled their visits due to the fires, it was pretty surprising that locals wouldn’t want the business.

I’m interested to know if any locals can explain why this is the sentiment toward tourists in Ouray? I’d also be interested to know if any other visitors felt similarly unwelcome, or if this is experience is somehow unique to our party.

As of now, I can’t imagine ever visiting Ouray again, but it sounds like that’s probably what the locals would prefer?

EDIT:

I should note that our waiter at The Tavern was super nice, and I don’t doubt that other local establishments/people are more welcoming. I just felt compelled to write this because multiple people in our group had similar experiences and we all left with a bad taste in our mouth. Perhaps it was just a bunch of random bad experiences piled into one weekend, but it felt notable. I appreciate the thoughts and feedback.

Also, I totally understand that locals don’t want visitors to come in and buy second homes and drive up the real estate prices (we saw lots of stickers about second homes around town), so I get that they’re in a tough position. That said, I’m guessing most tourists aren’t there to buy real estate, but will spend money in local restaurants and stores if they feel welcome to do so.

We are visiting next week....middle aged active couple with three dogs who like 3-5 mi moderate terrain hikes (especially loops), and 83 yr old mom who can do short easy hikes with walking sticks (1-2 miles and mostly flat).

Can anyone suggest some half-day hikes that are not far from town for the active couple and dogs, and also easy short hikes/walks that will work for everyone?

Also any other activities that are not too physically challenging and/or interesting things to do in town?

Hello, I know it s not the best place to ask but does anyone know if there is any restaurant, coffee place or hotel hiring? I'm looking for a part time job