Ouray/Uncompahgre Loop

August 2010  |  San Juan Mountains, Colorado

This last weekend we repeated one of my favorite backpacking loop routes in the San Juan Mountains - a big circle starting from near the town of Ouray, Colorado, hiking up 5,000 vertical feet to the expansive high rolling tundra of the Uncompahgre Wilderness, then back down into the town of Ouray via the Bridge of Heaven.

Hiking along one of the "fun" sections of the Bear Creek Trail, which starts from Red Mountain Pass just above the...

Hiking along one of the "fun" sections of the Bear Creek Trail, which starts from Red Mountain Pass just above the town of Ouray, Colorado. 

Sunset light on a remote peak in the the vast alpine tundra of the Uncompahgre Wilderness (formerly known as the Big Blue Wilderness...

Sunset light on a remote peak in the the vast alpine tundra of the Uncompahgre Wilderness (formerly known as the Big Blue Wilderness) of the San Juans.

A brilliant sunset beams through the Uncompahgre River valley.  The town of Ridgway is located below the sunset; Ouray would...

A brilliant sunset beams through the Uncompahgre River valley.  The town of Ridgway is located below the sunset; Ouray would be down in the valley to the left.  As seen from along the Horsethief Trail, August.

A momentary stripe of sunrise alpenglow beams through the stormy clouds, illuminating Potosi Peak and the Sneffels Range.

A momentary stripe of sunrise alpenglow beams through the stormy clouds, illuminating Potosi Peak and the Sneffels Range.

Rain on its way towards the Bridge of Heaven, high above Ouray, Colorado.

Rain on its way towards the Bridge of Heaven, high above Ouray, Colorado.

A bowl full of delicious wild raspberries. When we came upon these bushes full of raspberries we dropped our backpacks and picked...

A bowl full of delicious wild raspberries. When we came upon these bushes full of raspberries we dropped our backpacks and picked and ate raspberries for several hours before continuing on our way... and have been enjoying them for several days afterwards as well!