As we hiked further into the canyon, the roar of rushing water became more deafening. The dirt trail quickly turned into a slatted iron bridge complete with rails. The temperature dropped, the humidity rose, and the sun was hidden.
Al and I smiled as we continued into the canyon. We both agreed this is quite the dramatic find and experience. We’d heard about Box Canyon Falls from other bloggers but experiencing it first hand was a fun treat.
At the end of the trail is a staircase that leads down to the bottom of the falls. Al and I continued down the stairs and the spray of water misted our bodies as well as the iron stairs making for some slippery walking. The roar of the water forced us to speak loudly. In an attempt not to become drenched or damaged by slipping we quickly climbed the stairs back up to the main trail and continued to take in this unique sight.
Box Canyon Falls is know as Ouray’s own wonder of the world. The waterfall is created from the combination of Canyon Creek narrowing into a rock canyon and then plummeting 285 feet, spilling thousands of gallons of water per minute. The word ‘dramatic’ sums it up nicely.
Exiting the canyon, we were once again greeted by bright sunshine and warm, dry air…..what a contrast.
Box Canyon can be enjoyed from below the falls as well as from high above the canyon floor. Of course, hubby and I are compelled to see it all. Thus, our hike takes us up, up, up.
The trail up starts off with a bunch of stairs then turns into a dirt hiking trail. It’s a rugged trail and hubby and I were glad we wore our hiking boots instead of tennies.
Once at the top, we have a bird’s eye view of the town of Ouray (pronounced; your ray). There’s so much to see, do, and explore around this part of Colorado which is also known as America’s Jeeping Capital. I think we could spend the entire summer here and still not see or do it all.
When we arrived at the top, we realized this is where the ‘perimeter trail’ connects. The perimeter trail is a five mile well marked trail that circles the town of Ouray. Al and I knew we wanted to hike part of this trail…. so off we went.
Along the way we encountered more rushing water. May and June is serious snow melting season and all creeks and streams are running dangerously fast and furious. We spent a little over 2 hours hiking a portion of the perimeter trail with plans to return to hike another portion on another day. As ‘Arnold’ would say, “We’ll be back”!
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