Less than a mile southwest of Ouray lies Box Canyon Falls Park, which is home to the 285-foot Box Canyon falls, one of the city's main attractions. The visitor's center offers a number of interpretive exhibits. Surrounded by forests, the park has also been identified by the National Audubon Society as a vital area for the conservation of birds. Colorado's largest colony of black swift is believed to nest there during the summer.
Ouray's public pool, which opened in 1927, holds more than a million gallons of natural hot springs water that is believed to be therapeutic.
The Ouray County Historical Society Museum consists of three floors and 27 rooms of exhibits that include mineral collections, Ute Indian artifacts and Victorian-era displays, as well as mine, railroad and ranch exhibits. The building that houses the museum was completed in 1887 and served as a miner's hospital. Several rooms are recreations of operating rooms from the 1890s and 1940s.
The Ouray County Historical Society Museum offers walking tours that highlight the Victorian buildings throughout the town, which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. From May 20 through September 15, a popular attraction is the Bachelor-Syracuse Mine train tour. A short distance north of Ouray, the tour allows visitors to see the ore veins and work areas of an authentic gold mine. Visitors can also see Ouray and learn about local myths and lore by taking a walking tour with Ouray's Haunted History, which stops at locations said to be frequented by otherworldly beings. Take a carriage or stagecoach ride through town with Ouray Mule and Carriage Company, which operates out of the Ouray Livery Barn, the only remaining livery barn in town.
Throughout the surrounding areas are a number of abandoned mine towns. Many of these "ghost towns" are located in areas that require a four-wheel drive vehicle, but a few, such as Red Mountain town, can be accessed by passenger car.
