Ridgway State Park, Ouray and Silverton

After our day at Black Canyon of the Gunnison, we headed north to Ridgway State Park, near Montrose. I choose Ridgway because Scott wanted to go to Ouray and the only campgrounds I could find in the area were commercial (we did discover a U.S. Forest one while there - more on that later) and my experience with commercial RV campgrounds is "don't go there - ever." Ridgway turned out to be a great choice. First of all, the reservoir is beautiful.

Ridgway

It did make us want a boat (well, Scott actually owns half a boat, but we didn't have it with us). We scooted into the park and dropped off the Little Guy at our campsite in teh Dutch Charlie area. Ridgway has three sections - Dallas Creek in for day use; Dutch Charlie is on the reservoir side and has campsites, a beach and a marina; Pa Co Chu Puk has campsites and trout streams.

Our campsite was OK -- very convenient to the restrooms and the hot (well, sometimes hot, sometimes lukewarm) showers and the laundry room in which you are allowed to wash dishes! But, it was also next to the playground. Since many parents seem to feel that children need no supervision at a campground, that turned out to be a mistake. Next time, we'll pick site 184, which is on the edge of the campground and overlooks the reservoir.

Ready to explore

After leaving the Little Guy, we took off to explore the area. First stop: a beautiful picnic spot on the other side of Ouray. It was in the Amphitheater area, which also has beautiful campsites (without amenities, but with pretty surroundings). It might be nice to camp there some day.

Nice campground

The Ouray area is one of the prettiest in Colorado. There are spectacular mountains, sheer rock walls, rivers (this time a bit muddy because of all the rain we have gotten) ...

Streamside

... green bowls ...

Beauty enhanced by fog

... remnants of the mining business that gave Ouray its start ...

Million dollar mining

... and "million dollar" views - this area is actually called "Million Dollar."

Summer flowers

Originally established by silver and gold miners, Ouray once had more horses and mules than people. Prospectors arrived in 1875 and, at the peak, the town had more than 30 active mines. Named after the Ute chief, Ouray was incorporated in 1876 and its courthouse was built in 1888. It was served by the Denver & Rio Grande Railway until 1930. Main Street is registered as a National Historic District with most of the buildings dating back to the late nineteenth century. Unfortunately it is very crowded in the summer, so we didn't even stop. We thought about going to the hot springs (a good option if we ever camp at Amphitheater where there are no showers), but we ran out of time.

Ouray is connected to Silverton - our next destination - to the south by Red Mountain Pass which crests at just over 11,000 feet.

We stopped only briefly in Silverton, which is also overrun with tourists. We would have liked to ride the scenic Durango & Silverton Railroad (which we did back in 1989), but round trips begin and end in Durango, not Silverton. So, we just took some photos.

The legendary railroad

One of the sad things - to us at least - is that ATVs are apparently very popular in Silverton. They have taken over the town and the gravel roads in the area. So much for peace!

So we drove back along the Million Dollar Highway for more views ...

Dramatic

... Stopping this time to see the Box Canyon Falls. It's a commercial venture, but quite pretty. There is a modest fee and a very short walk. The falls plummet through the twisted, narrow canyon.

Box canyon

You then traverse a metal walkway.

The falls are pretty; the walkway not so much

If you are afraid of heights, skip it because you can see the bottom through the walkway. It's a little creepy.

Don't look down (or do)

I took the "extra" hike to the top of the canyon to see the source of the falls. It's 97 steps and a short steep rocky train to another metal walkway. This one is a bridge over the box canyon.

From above

And, there's another view through the grate -- this one farther down.

Looking to the bottom

The trail connects via tunnel to the Perimeter Trail that goes completely around the canyon.

Tunnel

After the box canyon, we went back to Ridgway and asked the ranger for suggestions of a scenic drive. She suggested we take County Road 7, which turned out to be a lovely trip. It passed farms and a huge mansion with the Ouray mountains in the background. 

Pastoral landscape

We saw elk, turkeys and bunnies, but it was the landscape that impressed.

Wow!

We stayed up watching for shooting stars. Then, it rained through the night. The next day, we planned for different experiences -- Scott would fish in the Pa Co Chu Puk area of Ridgway with a guide and I would hike.

The river

I tried to get recommendations for hikes, but no one I talked with seemed to hike much (or they assumed I meant a short walk -- do I look like I can't hike????). So, I decided to hike the Enchanted Mesa trail, which goes from the Marina are near where we camped to the Pa Co Ch Puk area. It's about 3.5 miles one way. It circles the Marina, then climbs up, offering a great view.

Ridgway Reservoir

Then, it levels out well above the reservoir.

A view from above

It passes through scrub, woods, fields ...

The trail traverses lots of different environments

...  past a small lake ...

Calm

... and through some dense willows ...

Yep, that's the trail

In the open areas, you can see mountains in the distance.

Nice view

Eventually, you reach the dam.

Dam!

And, can then see the trout streams at Pa Co Chu Puk below. I kept walking and walking, thinking that eventually I would have to start going down.

Scott fishing

And yet, I was still up high.

Pretty view from above

Then a very steep descent down the hill into Pa Co Chu Puk. When I got there, I tried to find Scott and his guide because I wanted to photograph him fishing. After missing the turn off to the fishing area, wandering around in one of the campgrounds, I finally got to the stream, but couldn't find them (it turns out they were upstream a bit). Because I had the car, I needed to get back, so I powered up the hill in the very intense sun and started back.

A steep hill

It was a beautiful day.

The reservoir

With beautiful views. There weren't many people on the trail, so it was a peaceful day.

Scott enjoyed the fishing as well.

Fishing

Another evening looking for shooting stars (the Perseid Meteor Shower was going on - I saw three). Then, the next morning, we took off for Maroon Bells.

Trip date: August 3-7, 2014