Bear Creek Falls — Local services in Telluride

Very cool spot to stop in Ouray. You can see Bear Creek Falls immediately below the Million Dollar Highway as it crosses the Bear Creek. It plunges over 100 feet in a sheer drop down the Uncompahgre Gorge joining up with the Uncompahgre River. A viewing platform extends out from the parking area to provide a view down on the falls droping into the Gorge. It can get crowded at times. Be careful and pay attention to traffic if you decide to park and visit. As you look south of Ouray into this beautiful view can you can see further along the steep Uncompahgre Canyon towards Abrams Mountain and also a seasonal waterfall on Ralston Creek directly opposite the Bear Creek falls.

Bear Creek Falls is located in the Uncompahgre National Forest just south of the town of Ouray in Ouray County, Colorado. It is administered by the USDA Forest Service. Was reading that Bear Creek drains from a basin covering an area of approximately 13 square miles. However, there are no lakes, glacier, or permanent sources of water found in the basin to sustain this consistent flow ypu see. This results in the volume of water present at the falls shifting considerably throughout the year. Apparently, during the spring and early summer months the creek will swell to high levels but by the late autumn months the volume will diminish considerably. During the winter the falls will freeze over entirely. I love the views in this area, and Ouray is one of my favorites places to visit...

This is a nice little scenic stop while on the way in or out of Ouray. Good to take a break from the winding mountain roads and enjoy some scenery.

As with many spots along 550 it does come up quickly and there's not a tremendous amount of parking area, so it's good idea to put it into your GPS in advance to know when it's coming up.

Note to photographers - there's an area from which you can get some photos of the falls, but the floor of it is metal grating, and there's a railing / guard for safety. If you want to do a long exposure shot, good to have a tall tripod...

Bear Creek Falls is a beautiful waterfall that flows right under the highway. There is a pull off to view the waterfall along US550, the Million Dollar Highway about 2 miles south of Ouray. Besides the waterfall, great views of the San Juan Mountains and Uncompahgre River Gorge. Definitely worth a quick stop if passing...