2 Days in the Switzerland Of America (Ouray, Silverton, Ridgway & Telluride)

So far during the first 3 days of our 10 day Colorado road trip, Teddy and I visited Colorado Springs, rode the Cañon City Railroad, explored both Great Sand Dunes National Park and Mesa Verde National Parks and drove the Million Dollar Highway.

We decided that we wanted to spend a few days in Ouray, known as the Switzerland of America, so we booked 3 nights at the Hotel Palomino (western themed hotel) in nearby Ridgway as our basecamp for the next few adventures. Here’s what we did during that time

DAY 1 :

Breakfast at Kami’s Samis – We went here one morning on a whim for breakfast and it was incredible. I dream about their iced vanilla latte. It was so good that we came back again the second morning. I did some reading about the Durango Silverton Railroad from a book I thrifted in PA while Teddy looked at our plans for the day while we waited for food. It was truly such delicious food and drinks and was conveniently right downtown.

Hiked the Perimeter Trail – Teddy and I really wanted to hike the Blue Lakes Trail (lots of elevation but beautiful views), but because we were visiting in mid May, there was still snow on the trial so we pivoted. We had heard about the Perimeter Trail from our research and didn’t think we were going to have time to do it, but decided to substitute it in for a bit of elevation and a way to explore Ouray. We started at the parking lot near Ouray Hot Springs Pool and did about a 2 mile loop. We went out to Cascade Falls and then walked back through town to the car. The trail has great views of downtown and we only encountered a few people along the way.

Visit Telluride – After our hike we drove about an hour over toward Telluride. The drive itself is very scenic but we’d seen photos of Telluride and were excited to finally see it in person. We got there around lunch so decided to eat at the Floradora Saloon. We sat in one of the tables right in the window and had a truly wonderful lunch of a tomahawk pork chop and a burger. We considered another hike but with snow still in the area, the ones we wanted to do weren’t clear and we weren’t really interested in snow hiking. So instead we just did some browsing around town and checked out art and shops.

Go for a Scenic Drive – We knew the Blue Lakes Trail was not an option for us, but decided to drive the scenic road to the trailhead through Uncompahgre National Forest on our way back from Telluride to Ridgway. Luckily we were able to get the whole way there until snow started to appear. We even got to see turkeys and and an actual cattle crossing on our drive!

Eat at Greenwoods – We grabbed dinner at Greenwoods after exploring and I loved the vibe inside. We sat in a cozy corner booth with fun wallpaper and decor around us. We enjoyed some cornbread with honey butter (the best I’ve ever had), a flank steak sandwich, and a seasonal special that had chicken and roasted veggies. It was right near our hotel which was even more convenient.

DAY 2 :

Explore Ridgeway State Park – We got up early and got to the park by 7:30 ish in the morning. We decided to walk the Forest Discovery Nature Trail in the park. It was less than a mile but had really beautiful views with mountains in the distance as well as views of the lake. There were also interpretive displays along the trail about the Ute People who used to occupy the area.

Baby Bathtubs Hike – There’s a specific area of the Perimeter Trail (Stop 3), mentioned earlier, where you can see what’s known as the “Baby Bathtubs” that’s shallow water that looks like little bathtubs. I had wanted to see this area so we parked along the road, finished off our drinks from Kami’s Samis and then checked out the bathtubs. It was a quick stop but fun to explore.

Mining Tour at Old Hundred in Silverton – I really wanted to do a mine tour while we were in Colorado, but I was nervous to drive the Million Dollar Highway yet again. After research of the tours in the area, we chose the Old Hundred Mine. It was so cool! You not only rode in a little coal car into the mine, but were able to actually see the various tools in action. Our guide used to work in mines in the area so knew what he was talking about and was able to share his own experience with us. I loved learning all about this particular mine was well as the history of others in the area – so much that I ended up buying a book on Ouray history since I finished my one on the railroad already.

Handlebars Food and Saloon – We stopped here after our tour which allowed us to explore more of Silverton while we waited for a table to open up. The restaurant is open seasonally. You may want to check when the Durango Silverton Railroad comes in though, since many people get off and grab lunch on the scenic railway and you ideally will get there before they do for lunch.

Explore Box Cañon – Box Cañon Falls has a 500 foot waterfall that you can see from both the bottom and top of the canyon. It was fun to walk back into the canyon to see the falls, but we were tired and didn’t feel like doing the steps to see it from the top but I’m sure it’s a great view. I liked their retro sign that you can see from the distance pointing you to where Box Cañon is.

Dinner at Mountain Lodge – This was another spot that was convenient to our stay in Ridgway and had great food. There looked to be both indoor and outdoor seating and a very laid back vibe to the restaurant.

The next morning we got up early and headed to sunrise at our next destination. If you’re looking for other things to do in the area, there’s some additional spots below that we had considered prior to visiting but didn’t get a chance to check out.

Silverton

• Coffee Bear 

Ouray

• Ouray Hot Springs 
• Hot Springs in town 
• Maggie’s Kitchen
• Ouray Brewery
• Brickhouse 737

Ridgeway 

• True Grit Cafe 
• Cafe Ridgeway A La Mode Ice Cream 
• Tacos Del Gnar

Telluride

• High Alpine Coffee
• The Butcher & The Baker
• Gondola (free)  
• Higher Grounds Coffee 
• River Trail along the water 
• The Coffee Cowboy Truck