As I’ve mentioned before, my husband and I try to take an extended weekend vacation each year. In December 2018 we decided on visiting Ouray, Colorado – mainly for the prospect of a relaxing hot spring vacation!
Ouray was about a half a day’s drive from our home in Longmont, and during December you can imagine some of the weather conditions one might face in the Rocky Mountains. We hit near white-out conditions while approaching Fairplay, and navigated snow packed lanes over the Continental Divide. But for the rest of the drive we had mostly clear roads as we avoided the other incoming weather systems. We arrived at our destination, Twin Peaks Lodging, around 4pm.
We chose Twin Peaks Lodging because it’s one of the handful of hotels that has its own private hot springs, and it’s well-situated near downtown and local hiking trails. The lodge has both indoor and outdoor spring-fed baths. Our trip happened to fall in the lull right before the ice-climbing season started (Ouray is world-renowned for its ice-climbing park), so we had the place mostly to ourselves the entire trip.
Indoor Hot Springs 
Indoor Hot Springs 
Outdoor Hot Springs
Even on vacation, I try to get some hiking in when I can, and this trip to Ouray was no exception. We did the short trail to Box Canyon falls first – the trail starts just down the street from the hotel, in fact. It’s a quick hike but can be very slippery in icy conditions, so wear the appropriate footwear and take your time.
Box Canyon falls, frozen. 
Box Canyon
After Box Canyon we did a quick loop around the ice climbing area nearby. The climbing season usually starts right around this time each year, depending on the weather. The park was prepping to open in just a few days, so we got to see a lot of the ice formations during the final stages of creation.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a vacation without sampling the local beverages…just like it wouldn’t be a Colorado town without a handful of excellent craft breweries and distilleries. We found several great options within walking distance of our hotel, including Red Mountain Brewing, Ouray Brewing, and K J Wood Distillers. At the distillery, we had a very “small world” moment: not only did the owners formerly live just a few houses up the street from us, but their bottle label graphic artist is a gentleman who is in several of the bands I used to book at my local music venue!
Our drive home was much less eventful weather-wise, and allowed for a few short stops along the way. I recommend spending part of the drive on route 50. You’ll catch some lovely views of the Gunnison river in the Curecanti National Recreation Area.
Enjoying my “Looking Back” series? Over the past few years, my love for both hiking and traveling has increased almost exponentially, and I’ve been fortunate to have had so many opportunities to travel recently. With the current health crisis, our travel plans for 2020 were scuttled; so I decided I’d take some time over the next few months to write this “Looking Back” series, where I dive into a recap of some of my favorite trips over the last few years. Click the navigation below to read more.