Ouray, Colorado

Perimeter Trail


If you’re visiting Ouray, the Perimeter Trail is a fantastic warm-up hike that loops around above the town. The trail is about 9 km (6 miles) long, with a total elevation gain of 454 m (1490 ft). While that might seem like a lot, the trail only climbs about 300 m (984 ft) from its lowest point to its highest. Much of the elevation change comes from lots of up and down sections once you’re above town. But, since it starts at 2,317 m (7,775 ft), if you’re not used to the altitude, the key is to take your time and just enjoy the scenery.

The official start is across from the visitor’s centre, but you can join the trail at many spots along the way by simply walking up one of many short side trails from Ouray. If the hike feels too challenging, you can also take many side trails back down into town. If you want to complete the full trail, it typically takes about 3-3.5 hours at a comfortable pace.

If you have some extra time, there are also some short side trails like the Baby Bathtubs that won’t take too long but will make your visit even more special.

As I mentioned before, it’s a good idea to check the weather before you start this or any hike. While Ouray is a high-altitude town, the temperatures can really swing. In winter, the trail is covered in snow and ice, and in summer, it’s usually not too hot, but when I was there, it actually reached 35 C (95 F) in town (their weather reports didn’t match the local thermometers, but I felt it!). Check ahead and be prepared. And then, most importantly, enjoy!

Depending on the weather, you might see rushing torrents of water in the creeks, rock climbers or even beautiful waterfalls. If there wasn’t much snow from winter or it was later in the summer, some of the water might be a trickle, but it’s still pretty good. Of course, circling high above the town on the trail, you’ll have amazing views of the town below with the cliffs rising across from you. No matter the water levels or weather, the Perimeter Trail will offer plenty to see and explore.

Here are some of the highlights of the trail which I marked on the map.

  1. Trail Register
  2. Cascade Falls
  3. Bathtubs
  4. Via Ferrara and Ice Park
  5. Tunnel
  6. Overlook
  7. Bridge Overlooking Town
  8. Ouray Hot Springs Pool
  9. Portland Mine Road
? Viewing Help

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
Stacks Image 53

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.

Image

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.

Image

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
Image
Image
Image
SHORT VIDEO CLIPS

Lower Cascade Falls - no sound

Water torrent on Uncompahgre River coming out of a dam above Ouray - no sound

Lower Cascade Falls - no sound

Waterfall on Oak Creek - no sound

Lower Cascade Falls - no sound

Lower Cascade Falls - no sound

PHOTO SHOWCASE
  • click on any panoramic image for a larger view
  • click on any thumbnail image for a larger view/slideshow
Image
2305300036-0043N - View on Perimeter Trail between Baby Bathtubs Trail and the Million Dollar Highway, near the Portland Mine Road
Image
2305300051P - View on Perimeter Trail between Baby Bathtubs Trail and the Million Dollar Highway, near the Portland Mine Road
Image
2407100020P - View from Perimeter Trail looking south-east, just before the trail drops down to town

© Copyright 2022-2026
James Hunkins

Image
Contact Me