Ouray, Colorado ~ Julie Lence

John Wayne's Hat, courtesy Julie Lence

 On Colorado’s western slope lies the small town of Ouray. Most John Wayne buffs know Ouray and it’s surrounding areas is where True Git was filmed. On Ouray’s main street is The Outlaw, a small steakhouse the Duke frequented while filming the movie. He gifted The Outlaw the hat he wore in the movie and the owners proudly keep it on display above the bar.

courtesy Julie Lence

  A handful of miles north of Ouray is Ridgeway. This small town is home to a few more scenes from the movie and The True Grit Café, another eatery the Duke frequented. Inside The True Grit, some of the walls are lined with John Wayne and True Grit movie memorabilia. 

West of Ridgeway, the highway snakes west as it climbs in elevation, leading to the Last Dollar Ranch; a sprawling working ranch with spectacular views. Not too far past The Last Dollar Ranch is the home featured in the opening and closing scenes of True Grit (and is for sale), and past that, one can turn off the main road onto a narrow trail through and around Aspen trees that lead to the famed ski resort of Telluride, Colorado. (Hubby and I did this drive in the fall and it’s beautiful! The scenery is breathtaking, and there’s something so peaceful and humbling about stopping beneath a grove, rolling down a window and just listening to the soft rustle of leaves.)   

courtesy City of Ouray

  Though this area is perfect for John Wayne buffs (myself included), Ouray boasts other claims to fame. Sitting at 7,800 ft. in a mountain valley, the jagged rock formations on either side reaching upward between 12,000 and 13,000 feet, Ouray is nicknamed Switzerland of America. At the north end of town are the hot springs. The Million Dollar Highway is at the southern end; a paved road leading to Silverton and Durango that takes travelers over 14,000+ foot mountains. Due to its sharp switchbacks, The Million Dollar Highway is considered one of the most dangerous roads in America and one the most scenic. Ouray is also home to many creeks in and around town. 

courtesy of Julie Lence

Gold was discovered in the area in the 1870’s, hence the formation of Ouray, Silverton, Telluride and nearby Lake City as mining communities. Once not too popular in tourism, today, these four towns are crowded with people who enjoy hiking, camping, 4-wheeling and sight-seeing, and with several mountain ranges, trails and ghost towns, there is a lot to see in and around Ouray.   

If you like to get out and explore old western towns, or nature, I highly recommend Ouray. It's a quaint little town with plenty of restaurants, shops, and small hotels. The people are friendly and the scenery is breathtaking. Getting to Colorado's western slope is easy by car. If you prefer to fly, Ouray and Telluride both have very small airports. Most aircraft in and out of these towns are private planes. Up the road from Ouray is Montrose with a somewhat bigger airport, but I would check to see if commercial airlines fly in and out of there. Grand Junction is about 1 hour north of Montrose and has a bigger airport with commercial flights. The two days hubby and I spent in Ouray was perfect for driving the backgrounds and dining at the above mentioned restaurants. We skipped the Million Dollar Highway as I have been over it and didn't care to do it again, but to see or do everything, as the Black Canyon of Gunnison (think mini Grand Canyon) isn't too far away and well worth seeing, you may want stay 3-4 days in Ouray. It's an area I highly recommend, especially in the fall when the Aspens are changing color, as in the photo below. 

courtesy Julie Lence