Cascade Creek Canyon, Ouray, CO

Ouray is a beautiful mountain town in the rugged San Juan mountains of southwest Colorado — surrounded by prominent peaks, excellent vibes, hot springs, canyoneering, climbing, and ice climbing. You can even see the canyons from restaurants in town! Cascade Creek Canyon is one of the Ouray classics with major drainages and interesting challenges that can last all day. We set up a shuttle and got a slightly later start, hiking 1,700 ft of gain in smoky conditions. It took about 2 hours to reach the canyon top.

From start to end it was a beautiful and scenic canyon. We encountered numerous rappels and downclimbs which were quite slippery — water flow was in fun mode though others may have found it more intense. We had a group of 8 from beginner to expert, ghost-rapping some sections and rappelling others to keep the group moving. One critical area on the second 200 ft rap has a hole through the floor where water flows — unstable and potentially fatal if someone falls through. The anchor is 8–10 ft above. Choose wisely whether to climb to it or hook it with rope. This canyon is an absolute MUST DO in Ouray — recommend a group of up to 6 with an early start and competent leap-frogging.