At a Glance
- Avg High: 52°F / 11°C
- Avg Low: 27°F / -3°C
- Waterfalls: Peak snowmelt flow
- Crowds: Minimal
- Hot Springs: Open daily
- Rates: Lowest of the year
Waterfall Season
Ouray's most dramatic waterfall season is April, when snowmelt from the high San Juans sends water cascading through every canyon and drainage. Box Canyon Falls is at its thunderous best — a 285-foot torrent that shakes the boardwalk beneath your feet. Lower Cascade Falls runs full and loud. Even small seeps that dry up by July are active streams in April.
The contrast is striking: snow-covered peaks high above, rushing water at every low point, and the first green of spring beginning to emerge at valley elevation. Ouray in April looks unlike any other month.
Hiking and Early-Season Access
Lower trails are accessible in April — the Perimeter Trail, Lower Cascade Falls trail, the riverside path, and several other routes below 9,000 feet. Higher trails and 4WD roads are still under snow, but the lower Ouray environment has enough hiking to fill a week comfortably.
The hot springs are open year-round and particularly pleasant in April, when the air is cool enough to make a warm soak feel restorative but not as frigid as January.
The Quietest Month
April sees the lowest visitor volume of any month in Ouray. Most travelers who know about Ouray come in summer or winter. The in-between seasons — especially April — belong to people who've been before and know what they're doing. The Lumberyard is often available with short notice. Rates are at their annual low.
If your schedule has flexibility and you want the San Juans without sharing them with everyone else, April in Ouray is one of the genuinely great quiet windows in Colorado travel.