Box Canyon — Local services in Colorado

Box Canyon is beautiful, a truly awesome wonder of nature!

I visited with family on a rainy, chilly day, which added a bit of adventure.

Near the visitors' center, we saw grosbeaks, goldfinches, chickadees, chipmunks, and squirrels feasting on some bird seed. They didn't seem bothered by us!

We chose to go left first, to the overlook where we could see the falls from above. The stairs were steep and got our hearts pumping, but nothing too difficult. The path, however, was quite tricky! I wore Tevas and still slipped around a bit, likely because of the wet, rainy, muddy conditions. The trail was safe with fences on the steep downhill edge, but it's certainly not manicured! If you have trouble on uneven ground, you may want to skip this part or go really slow.

The sight from the lookout was mighty pretty, with a view of the river gushing out from under us and of Ouray splayed out in front of us. The bridge, built in 1900 according to its manufacturers' label, was very sturdy, but the height sure made my legs feel like jelly!

Visibility was good, despite the weather.

You could continue on past the bridge through a short tunnel and out to more treacherous trails, but that leaves Box Canyon Park and we decided not to do so.

We made our way back down to the visitors center and this time took the trail to the falls. This walk was much easier, with little to no steep climbing.

At the falls, there is a walkway built alongside one wall of the smooth black rock with a few neat informational panels. Visitors can also climb down some stairs and go right to the water's edge, if they choose. There is NO swimming here!!

Box Canyon is beautiful. I would certainly recommend making the visit, for both the beautiful views at the top and for the stunning display of the power of nature found between Canyon walls.

Visitors should also take the time to read up on the Black Swift in the visitors' center before visiting the falls!...

Box Canyon exceeding my expectations. Enjoy a 500 foot walk into the 285-foot waterfall! They have 3 trails - the falls trail, the high bridge trail and the native plant loop. I don’t recommend for wheel chair bound, the trail seemed pretty tight. I did show a video showing the prices, walkway and some parts of the trail. I also saw a dirt road that may be for wheelchairs. Someone might correct me if I’m wrong. Dogs are not allowed. I do recommend holding one to your littles ones. Restrooms were...

Quick walk to the lower falls (incredible), and a slightly longer 20 minute walk up and back to the upper falls. The bridge is cute and the views are beautiful, but you can’t really see the falls from up there. Don’t let the pictures fool you, it’s...