Ouray, Colorado
Even though Colorado is famous for its mountains, it also boasts huge plains to the east and a stunning mesa and canyon landscape to the west.
Ouray is just a quick 157 km (98 miles) drive from Grand Junction, the largest city in western Colorado. While Ouray is often called The Little Switzerland of North America because of its beautiful cliffs and rugged mountains, Grand Junction is a small town (as of 2020, it had a population of 65,560 people, not counting all the smaller towns nearby). Grand Junction is located between the western edge of the Rocky Mountains (the Book Cliffs), Colorado National Monument (a desert highland with steep canyons and massive granite-gneiss-schist rock formations), and the nearby Grand Mesa, which is covered in pine and aspen trees and is the world’s largest flat-topped mountain.
The drive from Grand Junction to Ouray (see the next page for photos) begins on a divided highway through a dry, rolling landscape, which then merges into eroded small hills and finally onto a 2-lane highway that climbs along a forested river valley where the land quickly rises. As you look ahead, the peaks of the San Juan Mountains give you a sneak peek of what’s to come.
Hardware
- Nikon Z 6 II mirrorless camera
- Nikkor Z 24-70mm 1:4 S lens
- NIKKOR Z 70-200mm 1:2.8 VR S Z
- iPhone 12 Pro
Software
- Apple Photos v11.0
- Pixelmator Pro v3.7
- Topaz Photo AI v4.0.3
VIEWING HELP
To close this window, click the X in the upper right hand corner. Or click anywhere outside of this window's area.
Photos from each day are shown in thumbnail (small) form. Panoramas are either wide or tall images, while normal photos are small rectangles. All photos shown in the PHOTO SHOWCASE section can be enlarged for better viewing. Photos will enlarge to fit your browser window width. Therefore, to view them at larger sizes simply make your browser window wider.
If there is any issue or the need to inquire/comment about an image, please refer to the Image ID label (see below) of the specific image along with the trip name found at the top of the browser window.
Video Clips
Depending on the browser, some of the controls may not always be supported.
Most videos will start playing automatically. Sound is automatically off even if included with a video. See D, E below for sound control.
A few small videos are set to loop endlessly, while most just play to the end.
- A: To start or stop a video, click in this area (even if the symbol is not visible)
- B: If a browser shows this symbol, clicking on it will restart the video from the beginning
- C: Progress bar - will display total video time on the right.
- D, E: This seems to have the most variants between browsers. If the video description says 'w/ sound’, you can adjust the volume with this control
If neither is visible, move the cursor to the E area and either E and/or D will be visible
If E is visible but not D, click on E
Once D is visible, slide the bar up or down to adjust the volumn
Panoramas
Clicking anywhere on a panorama thumbnail will cause the image to expand to fill the browser width. Clicking again anywhere in the browser window or scrolling the browser window will cause the expanded image to shrink back to its smaller thumbnail size.
The Image ID and description is found just below the thumbnail image on the left side.
Individual Photographs
If you click on any photo thumbnail, it will open a larger viewer which can be used to walk through all of the standard photos on the page. Once open, to go forward click on the > on the right side of the enlarged image. To scan backwards, click on the < on the left side. To close the larger images either click on the X in the upper right hand corner of the browser window or anywhere outside of the enlarged image.
The Image ID label can be found by hovering a cursor over the thumbnail image (may not be available on some tablets/phones) or, once enlarged, from the lower left hand side just under the image.
Additionally, in the same area as the Image ID (or the upper left corner for newer/updated sites) a count showing the current image number versus the total number of images available for viewing.
For newer or updated sites (look for the orange checkbox in the header of a sites main page), additional buttons have been added when viewing a full size image. From left to right, the buttons are:
- Email: will open an email with information and a link to the current image
- WhatsApp: if WhatsApp is on your system, will open a browser window to open WhatsApp and create a message with information and a link to the current image
- FaceBook: Will open a browser window to open Facebook and create a message with information and a link to the current image
- full screen: will take over the entire display versus just the browser in most systems; ESC returns to the brower only mode
- magnify: enlarges the image within the browser or full screen; if the image is larger than can be displayed it can be scrolled
- exit: will close the large image viewer returning to the thumbnails
Sharing
Links:
WEB PAGE NOTES
So far, this website has been built around specific trips. This section, however, is the first one that’s all about gathering photos, sorted by what I did or where I went. Since it’s a photo collection, I might add more images if I ever go back to that spot.
I’ve included notes for each photo collection page, but there’s still so much more to discover about the area. I’d love for you to explore the links included to learn even more!
IT IS TIME TO ENJOY THE BEAUTY OF OURAY, COLORADO
These pages highlight some fun activities like hiking, driving, and 4-wheeling, all fantastic ways to soak in the beautiful scenery around Ouray. The photos were captured over two visits. The first visit was a bit of a letdown due to its being earlier in the year after a strong winter and the resulting unusually deep snowpack, leaving hiking options pretty limited. The second visit was much better for me being later in the summer. This gave me a chance to explore the area’s mountains and valleys in a direct and personal way.
As usual, I include many links to learn more and see other options if you ever get a chance to visit this amazing place. I’m hoping to return someday to do additional exploration - so much more to see and do.
Here are a few important things to keep in mind for anyone visiting, whether you’re just driving and taking short walks or you’re feeling adventurous and want to hike and explore.
First off, the weather! Just remember that anything can happen, no matter what time of the year you are there. In winter, if you’re thinking about ice climbing or snow skiing, expect temperatures to be moderate to very cold, with occasional strong winds. Since you’re in the mountains, snow and thunder storms can suddenly pop up out of nowhere, even if the sun was just shining.
As I mentioned, my first visit was limited by a deep snowpack. After chatting with the locals and checking trail conditions on sites like AllTrails.com, I was mostly stuck with the Perimeter Trail around town and some nice drives. On my second trip later in the summer, even though the weather forecast and climate websites showed temperatures wouldn’t be too bad, it actually reached up to around 35 C (95 F) in town, even though the weather service only showed temperatures in the upper 20s C (70s F).
Bottom line, be sure to check with the locals, dress in layers so you can adjust as needed, bring plenty of water, sun protection, and snacks. And please, unlike as a few people on the web did, wear proper shoes (sandals don’t cut it, except maybe by the pools and hot springs!).
Here’s a quick summary of Ouray’s typical temperature ranges:
-10 C (14 F) during winter, 22 C (72 F) during the summer. { weather-and-climate.com }
While the extremes might include:
-40 C (-40 F), 35 C (95 F) { my rough guesses }
In addition, remember that Ouray is at an elevation of 2,375 m (7,792 feet). If you’re not used to higher altitudes, it’s a good idea to take a day or two before tackling even higher-altitude hikes. Even just walking around town can be a bit challenging for some at these heights. Make sure to stay hydrated and take your time to enjoy everything.
With those tips in mind, once you’re ready, the most important thing is to get out there and start exploring!
Looking down at 2 of the 3 lakes from Blue Lakes Pass
