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OURAY |
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The attractive mining community of OURAY lies 23 miles north of
Silverton, on the far side of the 11,018ft Red Mountain Pass , where the
bare rock beneath the snow really is red, thanks to mineral deposits.
The Million Dollar Highway twists and turns, passing abandoned mine
workings and rusting machinery in the most unlikely and inaccessible
spots; back roads into the mountains offer rich pickings, for hikers or
drivers with four-wheel drive.
Ouray itself squeezes into a narrow but verdant valley, with the
commercially run Ouray Hot Springs beside the Uncompahgre River at the
north end of town. A mile or so south, a one-way loop dirt road leads to
Box Canyon Falls Park (daily 8am-7pm; $2), where a straightforward 500ft
trail, partly along a swaying wooden parapet, leads into the dark,
narrow Box Canyon. At the far end, the falls thunder through a tiny
cleft in the mountain.
The local visitor center is on the northern edge of town beside the hot
springs (daily 8am-6pm; tel 970/325-4746 or 1-800/228-1876). At Box
Canyon Lodge , an old-style timber motel at 45 Third Ave below the park
(tel 970/325-4981 or 1-800/327-5080; $50-75), you can bathe in natural
hot tubs; the luxurious B&B St Elmo Hotel , 426 Main St (tel
970/325-4951; $100-130), holds a good restaurant , and the Ouray Coffee
House , next to the springs at 960 Main St (tel 970/325-4001), has an
appealing patio for light lunches.
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