Ouray Ice Park

The Ouray Ice Park is a world-renowned, man-made ice climbing venue located in the Uncompahgre Gorge, just a short walk from downtown Ouray. It features over 200 ice and mixed climbing routes. As of February 2026, the park is fully open for the season. Cost & Access Admission: Climbing in the park is free for the public. Support: As a nonprofit operation, the park relies on donations and memberships (starting at approx. $65) to fund "ice farmers" who maintain the routes. Viewing: There is no charge to watch climbers from the bridges or designated viewing areas. Key Rules & Requirements Safety Gear: Helmets and crampons are required for anyone entering "climber only" areas, including the bottom of the gorge. Time Limits: To ensure fair access, groups may occupy a single route for a maximum of three hours. Pets: Dogs must be leashed at all times and are strictly prohibited from going below the top of the gorge (they cannot enter the canyon floor). Minors: Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult, and a waiver must be signed.

Fun place to visit, icy by Thanksgiving. Park across the main highway, no parking directly at entrance--look at Google maps first and you'll see what I mean. Dogs only allowed in the Top area, per the sign. It was icy when we went so we didn't go far.

My photos do not give this park an accurate experience. If you ice climb this park is for you!! About a mile of canyon to climb on. Easy access.

I had the amazing opportunity to traverse the via ferrata in the Ice Park. I was with a group and had a guide with us. I didn't find it challenging, but some in the group did, but I regularly hike and workout, so I'm sure that made a difference. This was an awesome experience. I actually considered renting equipment and doing it again the next day. It was a great course with so many beautiful views. I can't recommend this enough. I would say that I have a "healthy fear" of heights, just meaning that I'm not unsafe when in a situation involving heights, and I felt very safe the entire time.

Spent a week in Ouray and walking to the park for climbing. Most were full days and it was a blast. Every section of the park offers different terrain and challenges. The ice was fantastic. I would strongly recommend some hand warmers for long belays, the canyon is nothing if not cold 🥶 The park definitely gets busy especially on weekends. Early bird gets the worm.

Such a cool and unique fund just minutes from downtown Ouray. You need protective gear to go down below the climbers, but are free to roam around the top side and watch. There is also a trail to a waterfall accessible from the ice park. I plan to give ice climbing a try myself here in the future. You can rent equipment and lessons for a very reasonable cost.

Came for the ice fest and it was pretty sweet to see! Not even remotely sure how I would have gone about climbing if I wanted too though. (It was my first time there)

Very selective on fives stars. But the ice climbing and maybe three people are all I really like and dogs. So if you have interest or are an ice climber, Ouray Ice park is a great place.

Walking distance from the heart of Ouray, the ice park is truly an incredible amenity. A great place to start your ice climbing journey. There's a wide variety of difficulties available and lots of stable places to anchor from. It's not for the faint of heart. If you're not rappelling into the park, the only option is to down climb one of a few "canyon access" trails. There are guide ropes to help with stability, but these access trails are steep and in my opinion scarier than the climbs! Helmets and crampons are required starting at the canyon access trails. There's also great viewing opportunities from one of the many bridges in the park for those who don't climb. It's a fun place to grab some pictures and comment about how cold all the climbers look. Overall I highly recommend this breathtaking place in the winter!

What a place! Great intro to ice climbing environment, very easy to set up top ropes. They have outhouses, a shop, lots of climbs from beginner to difficult. Thank you for being such a great amenity to the community!

Climb hard, party hard, sleep hard, repeat. A day in Ouray: Wake up at 7-8ish. Walk into town. Drink lots of coffee. Eat some bacon and eggs. Walk back to your hotel. "Right yourself" from all that coffee. Get your harness on. Walk out to the ice park. Climb until the sprinklers come on. Walk back to hotel. Get in hot tub. Trade climbing stories, drink adult beverages, take embarrassing seflies. Get dressed in non-climbing clothes. Walk into town. Eat dinner. Walk back to the hotel. Crash, hard. Repeat. This is pretty much life in Ouray. It's a really good cadence. I really miss it. Kudos to the town of Ouray for building and maintaining such a wonderful ice park! It's probably the best place in the world to learn how to ice climb. If you're ice-curious, you definitely need to go to here.

HIP HIP OURAY! This was the first time we came to watch the annual ice climbing competition and it was awesome! It's an Ice Fest for sure!! For 3 days and nights, ice climbers from around the world rendezvous in Ouray to have a go at it on the amazing ice walls! It was so cool watching amateurs to pros make their best climb to reach the top! I think the youngest competitor was 13 or 14 years old! Anyway...lot's of fun, cool music, tons of vendors and if you've got the time you can attend a 2.5 hour climbing clinic for $59. Didn't partake, but you can bet we'll get our climb on next year for sure!

First time ice climbing, and as I was warned.... IM ADDICTED. Ouray Ice Park was so much better than I expected. I actually had no idea what to expect. But it was AWESOME! We signed up for a half-day of climbing with Chicks with Picks. The park is huge- the largest in the US! It's also beautiful, thrilling, and such a unique experience. Can you tell I dig it? I can't wait to come back next year. :)

Ouray Ice Park looks totally different in person than in photos. I thought there would be huge ice formations, but they were quite small in January. We saw some people ice climbing and that was pretty cool. We haven't tried ice climbing yet, but we are into normal rock climbing. The trails were a bit slippery, so having good traction boots would be helpful.

For ice climbers this park is Disneyland and Shangri La wrapped into one. Hundreds and hundreds of routes, both water ice and mixed. You could climb here for a week straight (which I do every year) and barely scratch the surface. I stay at the Box Canyon Inn right outside the park every January with a group of friends. Life is never better than during that week. Roll out of bed, suit up, walk right to the base of a route (the park is right next to the hotel). Climb until you can climb no more. Go back to hotel, Soak in natural hot spring soaking tubs. Drink a beer. Go to town and have dinner. Go to bed. Get up. Repeat. It is the BEST!

Cool Ice Climbing Spot in Town The city does a good job making sole great idea to climb with anchor points al ready to go for you. Great spot to practice ice climbing and to top rope when you are learning safely. It's an easy walk from many hotels in Ouray.

The ice park is a short walk from town. Hire a local guide if you've never been ice climbing. It's an amazing, unforgettable experience!

It's New Years weekend. The crowds are unbearable and most of the climbs have been closed all week. We've been coming annually for 8 years ...this year has been so bad it's completely changed our mind about coming back. We believe we've unfortunately witnessed the death of something that used to be amazing.

Super disappointed this year. The crowds are outrageous, large parts of the park are closed (even though temps have been cold enough to prevent that), and not all routes in the open sections are available! This was definitely not the winter ice climbing break for which I planned. I would definitely suggest that you plan for options of you are on your way to Ouray!