Ouray

Home | BLOG | Ouray

Ouray Ice Park
Posted on February 7, 2013 by Hart
Looking for an easy day trip from Telluride? Check out the Ouray Ice Park in Ouray, Colorado next time you're in town. Great ice climbing and there are hot springs near by too! 

Read more
tags: climbing, colorado, day trip, ice climbing, ice festival, Ouray, Ouray Ice Park, southwest

2013 Ouray Ice Festival

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Hart
Our neighboring town of Ouray, Colorado is known as "Switzerland of America" and its annual ice climbing festival starts this week! This is a great day-trip activity from Telluride if you're looking for cool events off the slopes. Here are all your event details for the 2013 Ouray Ice Festival at the Ouray Ice Park!
Read more
tags: climbing, colorado, festival, ice, ice climbing, little switzerland, Ouray, San Juan Mountains

Take a Day Trip to Ouray and Top Things to do in Telluride this Week, 1/4-1/9
Posted on January 4, 2012 by Hart

Each week this month, we’ll be featuring some of our favorite neighboring towns you need to check-off your bucketlist. Southwest Colorado has so much to offer… and some of the most amazing activities, towns, day trips and people in the country! This week we’re featuring Ouray, Colorado - “Switzerland of America”. Make Telluride your home base and take an easy day trip (60-70 minute drive) over to this beautiful box-canyon town. Here are some of the best things to check out: 

  • Thursday, January 5th – Sunday, January 8th – Ouray Ice Festival – The biggest Ice Festival in North America is back! We love our neighboring town of Ouray and this weekend they will host an eclectic gathering of ice climbers, gear manufacturers and ice climbing enthusiasts from all around the world. Festival events are held in and around the Ouray Ice Park, located in the Uncompahgre Gorge. Over 100 events in the 4 days, the Ice Festival will showcase the best of ice and mixed climbing talent in the world, clinics, films, free events, auctions, social gatherings, exhibitions and more. 

  • Ouray Hot Springs – What better way to relax than to soak in the clear warm waters of the Ouray Hot Springs. Several soaking sections at a variety of temperatures ranging from 96 to 106 degrees, a lap pool, diving area, large slide, shallow section for children and a water volleyball game area. This is great for the kids and the perfect way to rest your ski legs! For more information, hours of operation and more, visit: http://www.ouraycolorado.com/discover-ouray/hot-springs-pool.php 

  • Wiesbaden Hot Springs – Another awesome natural hot spring known for its peaceful atmosphere, “casual elegance” and European flair. The best part… the Vaporcave! A deep soaking pool with 109 degree water surround by rock walls. For more information, visit: http://wiesbadenhotsprings.com/ 
                    
  • Ouray Brewery – The Ouray Brewery is open daily with fine food, outstanding craft brews and a rooftop patio. Try a Box Canyon Brown Ale or a San Juan IPA… our favs. The perfect end to your day trip of relaxation and exploring in our neighboring box-canyon town. For more information, visit: http://ouraybrewery.com 
   

And now back to the other Top 4 to do in Telluride this weekend… 

Thursday, January 5th – First Thursday Art Walk – Celebrate the arts in downtown Telluride as dozen of venues open their doors from 5pm-8pm to introduce new artists, exhibits and galleries. The Ah Haa School for the Arts, Kamruz Gallery, Lustre, The Steaming Bean, Stronghouse Studios, Telluride Gallery, The Wilkinson Public Library and more venues will participate in this fun event. For more information, call Telluride Arts at 970-728-8959… or visit www.TellurideArts.org

                            

Saturday, January 7th – Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit – Jason is back! After his awesome performance at the 2011 Telluride Blues & Brews Festival this past September… he returns to the more intimate Sheridan Opera House for another rockin’ good time. Whether he’s playing with the Drive By Truckers, Justin Townes Earl or his current band, The 400 Unit… Isbell brings soul, rock, country and blues to every note he plays and every lyric he writes. This show is going to be siiiiiick. Buy your tickets today. For more info, visit www.SheridanOperaHouse.com and give a shout-out to Isbell on Twitter: @JasonIsbell 


Sunday, January 8th – The Wailers Revolution Tour – Raaaasta at the Llama! The Wailers Revolution Tour is taking over The Llama this Sunday night. Get ready to dance to Jamaican reggae, ska and rocksteady jams! Tickets are $27 in advance and $30 at the door. Buy your tickets today at The Wizard on Main Street because it will fill up FAST! Doors open at 9:00pm. 


Monday, January 9th – Ski into History with Johnnie Stevens – Ski with the legend Johnnie Stevens as he explains the history or the ski resort, cool facts and interesting stories. And the best part… it’s FREE! RSVP in advance with the Telluride Museum @ 970-728-3344 x 2 or visit www.telluridemuseum.org


Read more
tags: & The 400 Unit, Art Walk, Brewery, colorado, concert, Historical Museum, hot springs, Jason Isbell, live music, Ouray, Ouray Ice Festival, Ouray Ice Park, sheridan opera house, ski, southwest, telluride, The Llama, The Wailers, Wiesbaden

San Juan Skyway - a must do!

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Hart

The San Juan Skyway has been checked off the list. It’s been on my bucketlist for a while. I’ve done sections of the drive at separate times… but I’ve never driven the entire 233-mile loop in one weekend. It was spectacular. And we even caught the tail-end of the gorgeous fall foliage. We started in Telluride and headed south towards Cortez, CO… where a stop at the Mesa Verde National Park is another “bucketlist checker off-er”. Ancient Cliff-dwellings dating back to 550-1300 AD built by the Ancestral Puebloan people, sometimes called the Anasazi. It’s an amazing sight…

 

Onward to Durango, CO. Durango is a great town. Known for its Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway, Micro Breweries, and its mountain biking mecca status. Great place to spend the night to split the trip up and take in all the sights. Eat at a tasty brewery, bike along their River Trail, or go fishing/rafting down the Animas River. We fished the Animas right outside of town… and it was a blast. Lots of Rainbow Trout to be caught!

 

The next day, we continued along the Skyway towards Coal Bank Pass, Molas Pass, and ended up in the tiny town of Silverton, CO. Silverton is straight out of an old western movie - one main thoroughfare with saloons, shops, great food and a brewery. Not much going on… but a really cool mining town turned into one of the best “ski resorts” in the nation. Silverton converts into an expert, backcountry ski resort in the winter with hike-to terrain, 1 lift, guided and unguided trips, and even an old UPS-like truck to drive you back so you can do it all over again. 5 runs at Silverton Mountain is a GOOD day.

Next, we drove along Red Mountain Pass and the “Million Dollar Highway” connecting Silverton to Ouray, Colorado. This road has to be one of the most ridiculous roads I’ve ever been on. Ridiculous in a good way – amazing views, gorgeous fall foliage, cliffs, valleys, tunnels, mining structures and lots more. I’d never seen anything like it… I actually don’t even know how it was built. It’s exhilarating and one of the prettiest sights in Southwest Colorado but it’s definitely a “white-knuckle” kind of drive.

Next up… I’ve been to Ouray many times. Known for its Hot Springs (clothing optional), jeeping, and the infamous Imogene Pass Run… it’s a cute/quaint little town which claims to be “Switzerland of America”. It’s surrounded on all three sides with mountains… giving it the box canyon feel like Telluride. Great town and nice neighbors! We left Ouray and head back towards Telluride through Ridgway and Placerville. It was great to be home. Telluride is the prettiest… but we’re a little biased!! The San Juan Skyway is something you’ve got to check off your list when you visit the region again. Absolutely amazing!

 

Read more
tags: Animas River, Coal Bank Pass, colorado, Cortez, Dolores, Durango, hot springs, Mesa Verde National Park, Million Dollar Highway, Molas Pass, Ouray, Placerville, Red Mountain Pass, Ridgway, San Juan Mountains, San Juan Skyway, Silverton, southwest, telluride

Imogene Pass Training Day - "Damn, this race is HARD.”

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Hart
Our good friend Ryan Dohnal from Telluride Sports just completed the 38th annual Imogene Pass Run this past Saturday... here's his blog from the grueling 17.1 mile run: 

As I struggled up the last mile of the 10 mile climb to the summit of Imogene Pass one thought came into my head repeatedly… “Damn, this race is HARD.” You can run miles upon miles in training runs and think positive thoughts, but nothing prepares you for the feeling your body experiences at the limits of its own effort. There is no doubt that the mental battle is just as important as the physical one. Your legs feel like they are made of concrete and you are so tired you struggle to keep your upper body from slouching all the way to the ground. You think you are done when you hit the summit, but the battle is still well underway. Running downhill at a fast clip is no easy feat.

A lot of feelings go through your head when something you have put so much time, effort, and planning into is done with. The 2011 Imogene Pass Run has come and gone faster than I anticipated. I am very happy with the result, although all my goals were not met. I suppose that’s how things go sometimes. I ran 2 Hours and 51 minutes last year in my first Imogene Pass Run. That time came as a bit of a surprise and I went into this year’s race with aggressive goals. I hit the tape this year in 2 hours and 45 minutes, a 6 minute improvement from last year. I moved up from 29th place overall to 21st. I failed my main goal of being the 1st Telluride local across the line, but this town is full of great athletes who can come out of nowhere so this didn’t’ really surprise me.  I was the 3rd person from Telluride to finish.

                It’s fun to have goals and work towards them, but it’s more fun to be involved in such a great event. All the people who participate whether it is running or volunteering seem to have a great time and feel the same sense of accomplishment when they hit the finish line on Oak Street in Telluride. It’s a noble pursuit, and that feeling seems to be shared by all involved. Nothing showcases the best intentions of this event than the example set by Nat White of Flagstaff, Arizona. Nat set the men’s 70-74 age group record by running a 3:39 on Saturday. His race serves as a reminder that your goals are relative to only one person, and that is yourself. No doubt I will be back for more next summer. 

~Ryan
CONGRATS and THANKS for the great write up, Ryan! We're glad you made it back home in one piece. Till next year...
Read more
tags: colorado, Imogene, Imogene Pass, Imogene Pass Run, Ouray, telluride

Top 5 Best Things to do in Telluride this Weekend, 9/9-9/11
Posted on September 9, 2011 by Hart

FALL? Holy cow. This Summer has flown by... and it hasn't been fun at all (wink wink). Make sure you come see us in the next few weeks, while the leaves begin to change. It's the absolute prettiest thing I've ever seen... (the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina comes in at a close 2nd). We're resting up... preparing our livers for BLUES AND BREWS next weekend: If you haven't entered our contest... Telluride.com and Blues & Brews are giving away two, 3-day passes and 3 nights lodging at the Aspen Street Inn. FOR FREE! Scroll down the blog and make sure you enter. Or ENTER HERE: http://bit.ly/nt6kro Good times, for sure.  

Here are the Top 5 Things to do in Telluride this Weekend: 

Friday, September 9th – Cooking with Tomboy Bride and Chef Bud – Celebrate the 101 year anniversary of the birth of Tomboy Bride’s daughter (1st child born at the Hospital turned Museum) with a delicious cooking show by Chef Bud. Come to the Telluride Historical Museum today at NOON to participate as the audience for this LIVE web cooking seminar and taste high-altitude recipes! P.S. Chef Bud is the man… and can whip up some delicious food. Suggested donation, $5.  

Friday, September 9th - Telluride Farmers' Market Harvest Dinner with The Great Funktier - The Telluride Farmers' Market invites you to share a 3 course communal meal, giving thanks to this year's bounty at the Elk's Lodge. Come enjoy food, live music and silent auction. Bring your friends and give thanks to a wonderful year at the Telluride Farmers' Market! Music by our good friends and local funk band, The Great Funktier. Are they going to play Lionel Richie? Probably. Funky Town? If you're lucky. Tickets are $30, $10 for kids. EAT. DRINK. DANCE. & BE MERRY!

Saturday, September 10th – Imogene Pass Run – If you haven’t been training since (at least) June… then you probably don’t want to participate in this event. But you can come cheer on your friends and family! The 38th annual Imogene Pass Run will start in the early hours in Downtown Ouray, Colorado… and end 17.1 miles later in Downtown Telluride on Saturday afternoon. With a sold-out crowd of over 1,500 participants, this race is one of the region’s most anticipated endurance challenges. For over 40 years, people have been sprinting, jogging and even hobbling across the finish line on N. Oak Street… all to say they’ve conquered the grueling IMOGENE PASS! Good luck to all the runners! 

 

Saturday, September 10th – Telluride Arts’ 40th Birthday Bash – Come celebrate at the historic Sheridan Opera House on Saturday night - live performances, telethon finale, party, champagne toast, DJ’s and dancing! “The Telluride Council for the Arts and Humanities was established on November 17, 1971 to nurture a creative cultural environment through programs that integrate the arts into all aspects of community life. For 40 years, the Telluride Arts has been forwarding that mission through a wide array of arts initiatives and activities”. Come party down on Saturday night for a great cause! Tickets are $15 and can be bought at www.telluridearts.org, PARTY starts at 7:00pm!   

 

Sunday, September 11th – ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?? – The NFL season is underway and what better way to practice for Blues & Brews’ Grand Tasting next weekend… then to post up at The Cornerhouse or Brown Dog and watch some good ol’ fashion American football. Will the Packers go all the way again? Maybe. Will the Broncos win more than 2 games? PLEASE. Will my fantasy team “Rice Rice Baby” dominate the Telluride NFC? YES SIR. Enjoy a cold PBR, some wings and being American. Cheers to the 2011/2012 season!

  

As we sit back and think about another amazing Summer here in Telluride… let’s not forget to pause and reflect on the families and victims of 9/11. God Bless America. 

Read more
tags: Chef Bud, colorado, cooking, Elks Club, fall, Farmers Market, foliage, Harvest Dinner, Historical Museum, Imogene Pass, Imogene Pass Run, live music, Ouray, sheridan opera house, telluride, Telluride Arts, The Great Funktier

Imogene Pass Training Day - "Less than 4 weeks away"
Posted on August 15, 2011 by Hart
Our good friend Ryan Dohnal from Telluride Sports is preparing to run the 2011 Imogene Pass Run coming up in September... he's been nice enough to keep us updated on his training and preparation for the big race:

The Imogene Pass run can safely be described as a grueling undertaking. I knew this going into it last year, but some things aren’t fully understood until you dive in headfirst. The course starts in Ouray, Co at an elevation of 8,000 feet and steadily climbs for 10 miles to 13,000 foot Imogene pass. Once you have hit the pass you still have 7 miles of downhill that descends into the town of Telluride. Many a bloody knee crosses that finish line in Telluride. Needless to the say by the last 2 miles of the downhill my head was swaying, legs felt like sledgehammers, and my thoughts were a tad scattered. Yet, the race that day went about as well as I could have hoped for. I trained hard for 2 ½ months and executed well on race day. I had a steadfast goal going into the run that I wanted to finish in under 3 hours. When I crossed the line in 2 hours and 51 minutes I was thrilled. That feeling lasted for a total of about 6 hours, at which point my thoughts began to focus on my 2nd Imogene Pass Run on September 10, 2011.

                This year my expectations have grown, as has the amount of time I have put into training for the race. I started about a month earlier than last year, and have included more long runs and intense speedwork sessions than last summer. Living in Telluride is both a huge advantage and a disadvantage to training for Imogene. The advantage being that I get to train on steep hills at altitude and practice on the actual course if I want. The disadvantage is that summer in Telluride is full of exciting distractions like music festivals, nights on the town, friend’s barbecues, and many other events that lend themselves to a beer or two. I’ve managed to keep it all in check while still having a great summer overall.

                With the race about 4 weeks away, we are in crunch time. The runs are as long and tough as they will get before I back off about 2 weeks out from the race. The goal this year is simple…faster than last year.  That’s all I have in my mind. If I can put in a better time than 2 Hours 51 Minutes I will be happy.   Maybe…

 Stay tuned for more blogs from our friend Ryan!

 

Read more
tags: 13000+ feet, 4x4, colorado, Imogene, Imogene Pass, Imogene Pass Run, jeeping, mountain pass, Ouray, pass, race, telluride

MOOSE!
Posted on August 10, 2011 by Hart
MOOSE sighting! When's the last time you saw a couple moose hanging out? Our accountant, Mark, snapped these awesome shots while he was jeeping over Imogene Pass - the road connecting Telluride to Ouray, Colorado. Mark wasn't the only one enjoying the amazing wildflowers that are in peak season right now... check out the pics:
Read more
tags: 4x4, colorado, hike, hiking, Imogene Pass, jeep, jeeping, moose, nature, Ouray, telluride, wildflowers, wildlife
Syndicate content