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Activities

Visiting The Ouray Ice Park From Telluride

February 24, 2019

The Ouray Ice Park is about an hour-long drive from Telluride, but it’s one of the most scenic 49.6 miles you could drive.

If you’re itching to explore the Colorado wilderness near Telluride, then visiting the Ouray Ice Park is a must-do activity. In fact, Ouray is a destination in itself and an excellent change of pace from Telluride’s steeps and deeps.

About The Ouray Ice Park

The Ouray Ice Park, often referred to as Ouray (pronunciation: yur-ay) for short, is a mecca for ice climbing and outdoor activity.

The City of Ouray uses overflow water from the city’s water tank supply to create the icy wonderland. In fact, the water supply comes from 250 shower heads strategically installed throughout the Ice Park. Over night, the park unleashes 150,00 – 200,000 gallons of water to keep its ice climbing routes in peak condition.

You can climb more than 3 miles of vertical terrain throughout the park, so Ouray is like an avenue to the sky.

You don’t need to be an ice climber to appreciate the engineering feat of Ouray. You can kick back with some warm hot chocolate and watch as ice climbers axe and pick their way up the stunning icicles.

The Ouray Ice Festival


Every January, the Ouray Ice Park hosts the Ouray Ice Festival, which is a world-renowned spectacle in ice climbing. Professionals and amateurs from around the world come to compete.

In addition to watching the competitions, attendees can also visit the hundreds of outdoor vendors who set up shop at Ouray during the festival. You can also take climbing clinics, demo ice climbing gear, or just hang around and wait for the nightly parties to get started.

Driving To Ouray


As we mentioned, Ouray is only an hour drive from Telluride. Because the route meanders along a mountain pass, it’s not the best drive if there’s inclement weather. Still, if you’re comfortable driving in the high country and want to use Telluride as a base camp for Rocky Mountain adventure, Ouray is one of the best and closest destinations.

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