The Ouray Via Ferrata is free and open to the public. No reservation is needed to climb. However, there is a minimum gear requirement and rules to follow.
Beautiful views above the river, very close parking and short hike up to it. The downriver one was awesome and much easier than the upriver one. The upriver one is not bad if you have some climbing experience but would not recommend for completely new people.
Friendly gear check by climbing employee. Two routes, Upstream more intimidating. Congenital fellow climbers. A morning start will move from shade to sun; I wish I’d worn a white cotton shirt. Bring water and snacks. Thanks for donating to keep this via ferrata accessible!
Such a blast! Still can’t believe these routes are free to the public (just rent appropriate gear from anywhere). Gorgeous views, just enough adrenaline, but always felt secure. My teen boys and I would do it again in a heartbeat!
The first time my husband and I did a Via Ferrata was here at the Ouray Via Ferrata. We absolutely enjoyed it! It was scary at times, but we had a blast and we always felt safe. After we went, we ended up taking my sister and brother-in-law back and they loved it too. I plan to take more people. It’s such an amazing experience! We only have done the half day trail as the new, full day trail wasn’t finished when we last went. The half day trail takes about 3-5 hours, so if it’s your first time doing Via Ferrata, you may want to do that one. There is also two times you can exit early, if you don’t feel comfortable going further on the trail. Also, there are two ways to exit at the end of the Ferrata, one is a bridge and the second is a Sky Climb; I posted an image of the bridge and Sky Climb for reference. Either way, I couldn’t recommend this experience enough! And you can’t beat the views!
The new upstream route is incredible! We rented the harnesses from San Juan guides and did it ourselves. It was our first Via Ferrata and took us just short of four hours, with lots of photo stops. Beautiful scenery through the canyon and an amazing mix of cable bridge, ladder, traversing, upclimbs and down climbs. I thought it was pretty mild and didn't require any special skills until the bailout bridge. After that, it got a bit trickier, like I had to use my climbing skills to look for holds and body positions. In general, it felt built for tall people and I used every inch of my legs in many places (I'm 5'8"). Fantastic day, thanks Ouray for building this amazing adventure and allowing it to be affordable and accessible! Oh and the via itself is close to town but obviously doesn't start on main street itself (~5 min drive or longer walk from town)
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