Ouray Hot Springs Pool

What to expect

The Ouray Hot Springs Pool is the town pool, and Ouray happens to have one of the best settings for a town pool anywhere. It sits at the north end of Main Street with the San Juan Mountains rising on every side, and in winter you soak looking up at snow and ice on the canyon walls. The City of Ouray runs it, the prices are posted, there are lifeguards, and nobody needs a reservation.

The water is the other draw. Ouray’s springs are sulfur-free, so there is none of the rotten-egg smell that hangs over many hot springs. Most of the pool’s hot water comes from Box Canyon, south of town, where about 100 gallons a minute of 150°F66°C mineral water flows downhill by gravity through a pipe more than a mile long. A well known as OX-2, found by exploratory drilling in the 1980s, adds about 190 gallons a minute at 117°F47°C, and that extra supply is what made year-round opening possible. Today 250 to 300 gallons a minute flow in and out of the pools around the clock, so the water is constantly replaced rather than recirculated.

Expect a modern aquatic facility, not a rustic soak. The pool complex was demolished and rebuilt in 2016 and 2017, and it has a poolhouse with changing rooms, a snack shack in summer and a fitness center. In summer it is lively and full of kids. In winter, after a day of ice climbing or skiing, it feels like the whole town comes to sit in the hot pool.

The pools

The city lists average temperatures, which shift with weather and conditions:

• Overlook Pool: 102-106°F39-41°C. The hottest pool, raised above the others with the best mountain view. Adults only.
• Hot Pool: 95-103°F35-39°C. The big main soaking pool, with curving sections where groups can settle in.
• Lap Pool: 75-83°F24-28°C. Lanes for swimming laps.
• Activity Pool: 32-80°F0-27°C. Summer play pool with a climbing wall and a rolling log; in winter it becomes a cold plunge.
• Shallow Pool: 82-92°F28-33°C. Open from Memorial Day through mid-August for small children.

The two water slides run from noon to 7 pm in summer for an extra $5 a day. Pools sometimes close briefly for maintenance or to manage temperatures; the city posts these closures on the pool’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

Getting there

The pool is at 1220 Main Street, at the north edge of Ouray, right on US 550. You cannot miss it driving in from the north.

• From Montrose: Drive south on US 550 through Ridgway, about 37 miles. The pool is at the north edge of town as you arrive.
• From Ridgway: About 10 miles south on US 550.
• From Silverton: Drive north over Red Mountain Pass on US 550, the Million Dollar Highway. It is a slow, steep road with sheer drop-offs and few guardrails, and it closes at times in winter storms. Check conditions with CDOT before you go.

There is a parking lot beside the pool. Many visitors staying in town simply walk.

When to go

The pool is open year-round. Winter is the classic season: Ouray fills with ice climbers from December to March for the Ouray Ice Park, and an evening soak under snow-covered peaks is the reason many of them come. Summer brings families, the slides and the shallow pool, and the pool is busiest on summer afternoons.

Recent hours are 10 to 11 am for members with a 12-month pass, then 11 am to 8 pm for the public. Hours change by season, so check the city’s page before you go. A few evenings a year the city runs Teen Takeover nights, when the pool closes to adults from 5 pm; in fall 2026 these were set for Oct. 25 and Nov. 15.

If a pool closes unexpectedly (lightning, an emergency, a fecal incident or bad weather), there are no refunds. If you have been there more than two hours, ask for a stamp to come back the same day; under two hours, ask for a pool closure pass you can use another day.

Rules and etiquette

• Swimsuits are required. This is a public family pool.
• No glass, no alcohol, no smoking on the pool deck.
• Adults only in the Overlook Pool. Out There Colorado reported the age limit as 18 and over.
• Showers cost $4, with a 30-minute limit.
• Discounts: 20% off for active and retired military, veterans and dependents with ID; 20% off for Ouray Ice Park members while the park is open; 25% off for groups of 20 or more and school groups with two weeks’ notice.

Prices have climbed in recent years. In early 2023 the city planned to raise adult entry from $21 to $26 from March 1; it is $30 now.

Where to stay nearby

There is no lodging at the pool itself, but most of Ouray is within walking distance. Several hotels in town have their own hot spring pools:

• Wiesbaden Hot Springs Spa & Lodgings has a natural vapor cave and is limited to guests 12 and older.
• Box Canyon Lodge & Hot Springs has hillside soaking tubs for guests.
• Twin Peaks Lodge & Hot Springs has tubs and small pools for guests.

Ridgway, 10 miles north, has more motels and is close to Orvis Hot Springs. Montrose has the nearest chain hotels and the regional airport. Uncompahgre National Forest around town has campgrounds, though most close in winter.

Safety notes

• Altitude: Ouray is high, at about 7,800 feet. Hot water plus thin, dry air can make you lightheaded. Drink water and take breaks in the cooler pools.
• Hot pools: The Overlook can reach 106°F41°C. Keep soaks short.
• Winter decks: Paths between pools get icy. Wear sandals with grip.
• Mountain driving: If you are coming over Red Mountain Pass, do it in daylight and check road conditions.

History

The Ute people treated Ouray’s springs as sacred and are said to have called them “miracle waters.” They were forced off the land in 1881, five years after miners founded Ouray. The town’s first public bath was run by the Buchanan family near today’s Wiesbaden from the late 1870s. In 1920, residents and businesses began raising money for a large outdoor pool, and after six years of delays it opened on July 4, 1927, to one of the biggest crowds the town had seen. It ran with only gravity-fed Box Canyon water until the 1980s, when the OX-2 well made winter operation possible. The city rebuilt the whole facility in 2016-2017 and in 2026 began planning a new poolhouse.

Nearby stops worth adding

Box Canyon Falls, at the south end of town, is where the pool’s hot water starts, and a short trail leads into the slot canyon. The Ouray Ice Park, in the Uncompahgre Gorge, is worth a look in winter even if you only watch the climbers. The Ouray County Museum covers the town’s mining and hot springs history.