This summer, I am hoping to fill my weekends with scents of fresh pine trees, roasted fires (if the fire bans are lifted) and nights under the stars. So far, I have achieved those goals and want to share my experiences thus far with some pretty random, but awesome campsites.
Basically, with Corona and a competitive permit process, finding camping reservations can be tough, especially well known ones. So I went to recreation.gov and just chose the most random spots and hoped for the best.
Today, I’ll be discussing a fun itinerary for Pagosa Springs (with a completely optional but beautiful side trip to Ouray).
Pagosa Springs is about 5 hours from Denver and is tucked away pretty far south on the western side of Colorado. The town itself is charming, lined with bakeries, restaurants, and views of the mountains. Because of Covid, this was the first weekend things were back in action.
Our campsite was about 40 minutes from town, and was called Williams Creek Campground. This was a real gem, with large camp spots, filled with views of the forrest, and has a beautiful reservoir a short drive away.
The first day before arriving to camp we did a hike, Fourmile Falls which is outside of Pagosa and around 6 miles. This hike is stunning! Rolling hills surrounding you, a nice soft path, beautiful river crossings, and some pretty epic water falls. The hike was moderate and was the perfect length for exploring with differing landscapes as you progressed. I could not recommend this hike enough!
That night we set up camp, enjoyed the views, and woke up to enjoy Pagosa. We wandered the town, got some amazing custard, and headed over to an easier waterfall walk, called Piedra Falls. This hike is super easy and more of a short walk, but it leads you to another awesome waterfall and river.
That night we rested up for our last minute decision to drive to Ouray the next day. To be completely honest, this itinerary does not make sense to attach Ouray, but the drive is so gorgeous, and we only have so many three day weekends, so we just sent it and drove for 8 hours.
First, from Pagosa to Ouray is an interesting drive. You get to see some unique corners of Colorado, passing through Durango, ghost towns, to then see the most incredible drive of your life. Going down to Ouray you experience an intense winding road (not for those weak in the stomach), with jaw dropping views of the mountains and Colorado’s rich summer colors.
Once arriving in Ouray, half the group did the incredible Via Ferrata, that just opened that day, and the other half enjoyed shopping in the stores, eating delicious sandwiches and wandering on a nice but beautiful hike, Baby Bath Tubs Trail. Despite only being in Ouray for a couple hours, it’s one of my absolute favorite towns in all of Colorado, and even just to be in that magical place for an hour was worth it to me.
After a fun day spent there, we headed back for 5 more hours, returning to Denver with sun kissed faces and our cravings for the outdoors fufilled with a great weekend.
Have you ever been to Pagosa or Ouray? What are your thoughts?
Hailee Boyle Social Media Management 
These pictures make me want to get outside so bad!
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I know the feeling, on week days when I’m working it feels wrong to not be outside!
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