Bear Creek National Recreation Trail

Bear Creek National Recreation Trail (#241) is a long-distance hiking route in the Ouray area, designated for its unique cliff-and-ledge character. The mapped path is a dirt path and is managed as a National Recreation Trail with seasonal use focused on hiking.

Start at Highway 550, near Ouray: the trailhead begins on the west side of the highway and the route immediately works through a sustained initial climb on steep switchbacks. Expect a fast gain early on before the trail begins to set up for the canyon traverse.

After the first mile-plus of ascent, the route turns into the Bear Creek drainage and begins running high above Bear Creek along narrow ledges cut into steep cliff walls. This is where exposure becomes a defining feature, with ledge walking and steep drop-offs into the gorge.

Along this ledge section, the trail threads through mixed forest and open, talus-and-meadow terrain. Footing varies: there are ledgy stretches and some spots that are described as having eroded sections, plus occasional water crossings in the drainage.

The trail is built around two historic mining destinations. At about 2.2 miles from the start (4.4 miles round-trip), Grizzly Bear Mine is a common turn-around point, with remaining mining structures and equipment along the route.

For those continuing the full long-distance outing, the route proceeds onward to Yellow Jacket Mine. A longer round-trip option reaches about 8.0 miles to Yellow Jacket Mine, where the remnants of the second mine sit above Bear Creek.

Use is hiking-focused (no bicycling indicated), and the route is narrow with steep drops; hikers uncomfortable with heights typically should avoid it. The trail structure includes steep switchbacks over unstable rock early on, plus cliffside ledging later in the day.

More information: Visitor information, Bear Creek National Recreation Trail Detail, Ouray, Colorado, Bear Creek National Recreation Trail to Grizzly Bear and ...