I love this little hike. Ouray and environs are packed to the gills with all manner of epic, high mountain splendor and expert-class climbs but this one is perfect for a quick dose of off-the-charts gorgeous scenery. Best of all, it’s an easy cruise into down for post-hike brews.

Ouray’s heady days of the 1800s mining boom is evident in the many remnant mine shafts and sites throughout the area. The Portland Mine burrowed into the rock in the rugged mountains above town and today the well-maintained Portland Trail takes hikers on a mellow journey through rich and verdant forest hugging the edge of a deep valley flanked by a grand amphitheater of beauteous alpine scenery. The crescent mountain cirque rises to around 11,500 feet, close to 4,000 feet about Ouray’s streets.

The trail follows mostly gentle grades (keep in mind that “gentle” is a relative term in this part of the state), and stream braids drape the slopes of the massive bowl, their soothing songs echoing throughout this high-altitude arena. Heading toward the Uncompahgre Gorge at the trail’s first curve, we are treated to glimpses of the impressive walls and cirques embracing Ouray. From here, start a long, steady ascent of enormous switchbacks. At the southern tips of these big zigzags, more of the amphitheater reveals itself to the east. Behind and across the valley to the west rises the burly snout of the Sneffels Range. Farther along, hikers are in store for splendiferous views of tall spires jutting high from the top of the Amphitheater. It looks like thousands of enormous castle turrets and is one of Colorado’s iconic sights.

At the next junction, begin the long descent toward the campground and trailhead. The path winds deep into the pines, crosses a creek, and leads to a west-facing slope offering more spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. On the way, a trail junction offers an extra challenge: A right turn leads way up past Upper Cascade Falls to the old Chief Ouray Mine, a solid thousand vertical feet uphill.

Why this place matters

Colorado was a lightning rod for the mining boom and old, derelict sites still litter the state. In outstanding revival efforts, Ouray’s Trust for Land Restoration is helping return alpine elegance to those rough and tumble places. A consulting group and land trust, TLR is known as “the mightiest little land conservation organization in Southwest Colorado,” working to remediate and restore abandoned mine sites.