Exploring the Small Towns of Ouray and Silverton

After exploring Black Canyon of the Gunnison the day before (full post here), we spent a little time enjoying the small town charm of Ouray, Colorado before continuing on our way to Telluride.

First things first though…breakfast at a local favorite spot, Roast & Toast Cafe.

Allen got a hearty helping of buttermilk pancakes, while I got a traditional breakfast sampler plate with the best roasted potatoes! Yum! I’m getting hungry just looking at these pictures! 😛

After breakfast we took a leisurely walk around town and enjoyed the quiet life that Ouray has to offer.

Like I mentioned before, we traveled during the off-season (the time right between summer and ski season). And so small towns like Ouray usually shut down during this time.

And while most shops and restaurants were closed, it was still a nice relaxing way to explore the town and live life like the locals.

Ouray is so neatly nestled between mountain peaks, giving it a super cozy and laid back mountain town vibe.

I can’t wait to go back in the summertime when the streets are bustling with people for a completely different feel.

Well, hey there handsome!

After an hour or so of exploring, we got back on the road and headed to another small Colorado town, Silverton. Allen has always wanted to visit Silverton (known for their backcountry skiing), and after our waiter from the night before recommended going there as well, we just couldn’t pass up an opportunity to visit!

Along the drive, there are always interesting things to look at. Obviously the beautiful mountain scapes and Colorado color (goes without saying, no?), but also the abandoned mines left over from the gold rush. Can you spot the old mining building in the photo below?

Along our route we also stumbled upon the Bear Creek Waterfall. It was beautiful and stunning, and such a sweet, spontaneous surprise to discover along our drive.

After admiring the falls for a bit, we hit the road again…full steam ahead for Silverton!

After an hour or so more of driving, we reached Silverton city limits. Since Allen was interested in the skiing area, we drove up into the mountain area surrounding the town first.

Dirt roads all the way! Allen and I had some fun doing donuts in the icy patches we found. (Don’t worry mom, we were careful!)

Ahh…seriously in love with those bright, beautiful Colorado colors in the soil.

Loved looking at the algae up close too.

After finding and exploring the ski area (p.s.- it’s very small and you might miss it if you don’t know where to look), we headed back into town.

Again, the small town of Silverton was in its off-season, so most everything was closed down. But that didn’t stop us from exploring the town on foot and admiring all the colorful buildings.

I just couldn’t help myself when we found this cute sunflower wall!

And that purple and pink building in the center?! Me and Silverton were meant to be I think.

Perfectly coordinated… 😛

Allen just being his goofy self! Ha!

I love how the mountains are always a presence here. It’s so warming and comforting to see them wherever you look.

I’ll leave coming up with a caption on the photo below to you. Oh boy, Allen! What am I going to do with you?! Haha.

We even found a bright colorful house for sale. When can we move in? 😉

Before heading out, we stopped into a little coffee shop (Cafe Mobius) that was open and got the best chai latte either of us has ever had. It was seriously so. good.

The coffee shop had a very small town feel and I wish we could’ve spent more time there. They even had board games to play–how fun!

I also spotted this little guy outside the window and just had to grab a quick picture of him. He looked like he was ready for an adventure!

After sipping our hot drinks for a bit, we got back on the road and continued our journey to Telluride. If you don’t know where Telluride is in relation to Boulder, it’s about 7 hours to the southwest. So taking these small detours along the route made the drive much more enjoyable and fun!

In the next post, I’ll share what we did in Telluride, so stay tuned for the final leg of our long weekend adventure!

P.S. – Something you don’t see in Oklahoma or Texas (below)…avalanche tunnels!

What about you? Have you ever explored a small sleepy town like Silverton or Ouray?

You might also like…My Outfit for Exploring Ouray and A Girls Weekend in Dallas.