Ouray sits at the bottom of a box. Tall red and grey cliffs rise on three sides of the town, leaving only a narrow gap to the north, and the whole place looks like a Swiss village that took a wrong turn into Colorado, which explains why it calls itself the Switzerland of America. About a thousand people live here, in Victorian wooden houses along a main street lined with shops, hotels and a hot springs pool fed by the same geothermal water that bubbles up around the town. An hour in the pool, with the cliffs above, is the standard remedy for stiff shoulders after a long ride.
The town was founded in the 1870s during the silver and gold boom, named after Chief Ouray of the Ute people, who tried to negotiate peace with the settlers, and for years it was a hard-working mining camp. The old mines are still scattered across the hills, and you can see their wooden structures high above the road. A short walk from the main street leads into Box Canyon Falls, where a waterfall roars through a narrow gorge, and on the hillside, jeep roads climb to ghost towns and passes above the tree line.
The road south to Silverton, US 550, is the legendary Million Dollar Highway. It leaves Ouray by cutting along the face of the cliff, in a series of tight curves with long drops on the outside and very little in the way of barriers, then climbs over Red Mountain Pass at 11,018 feet, about 3,360 metres. The surface is generally good, but the bends are tight, the road is narrow in places and snow and ice can appear in any month. Rockfall and fog are other hazards. Early morning is the best time, with less traffic and better light.
Ouray has fuel, along with a good range of cafés, hotels and small restaurants, and in summer it fills up, so book ahead. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in July and August, and the high passes can turn cold quickly. Pack warm layers even on hot days, and keep an eye on the sky. The town's ice cream shops are a pleasant reward before heading out.