Ouray & Tourism

Native Americans came to Ouray to hunt, escape the heat, enjoy the beauty and use the hot springs. Chief Ouray had a winter home here next to the Wiesbaden Hot Springs. The spectacular scenery and the transportation system built to service the mines made the San Juans a natural tourist destination. The "Rainbow Route", which took passengers by stage from Ouray to Ironton and then by train to Silverton, Durango, Rico, Telluride, Ridgway and back to Ouray, was billed as the "most magnificent mountain trip in the known world." Today the "San Juan Skyway" is a National Scenic Highway and still among the most magnificent mountain trips you can take. By the turn of the century, Ouray was already becoming a tourist town called the "Gem of the Rockies" and "The Switzerland of America."