Ouray sits at the bottom of a steep box canyon on US 550, with cliffs on three sides and jeep roads climbing out of town toward some of the best alpine basins in Colorado. An Ouray elopement can be a sunrise ceremony in Yankee Boy Basin, vows beside a waterfall, or a soak at the hot springs pool with a dozen guests. The details that trip people up are smaller than the scenery: a clerk’s office that is closed on Fridays, roads that open in June, and a highway pass that closes without much warning in winter.
Your marriage license from Ouray County
The Ouray County Clerk and Recorder issues licenses at the Ouray County Courthouse, 541 4th Street in Ouray. The process has two parts:
- Apply online or in the office, within 35 days before your ceremony.
- Appear together in the office to review the application and pick up your certificate.
The office takes applications Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you are flying in on a Thursday night for a Saturday ceremony, Ouray County will not work; get your license from another county on the way, since any Colorado clerk’s license is valid statewide. Our Colorado marriage license guide lists the alternatives.
Fees, paid in the office by cash, check or card (cards add about 3 percent):
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| License | $30.00 |
| Certified copies | $1.50 each |
| Return shipping, standard postage | $2.00 |
| USPS certified with tracking (optional) | $10.00 |
| FedEx with tracking (optional) | $40.00 |
Each of you needs an unexpired photo ID such as a driver’s license, passport or US military ID; the county will not take a birth certificate as your only proof of identity. Both of you must be 18 or older, or have judicial approval. After the ceremony you have 63 days to return the signed certificate to the clerk. Questions go to (970) 325-4961.
Ouray County lists three ways to solemnize: civil, religious, and by the two of you. If you plan to marry yourselves, read our self solemnization guide.
Forest and BLM land around town
Most of the high country around Ouray is the Uncompahgre National Forest, managed by the Ouray Ranger District. Its office is in Montrose, at 2505 S. Townsend Ave., open weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a lunch closure, (970) 240-5300. Parts of the Alpine Loop cross Bureau of Land Management land as well.
The forest’s special use page lists weddings as noncommercial group use and says you need an authorization when your group reaches 75 or more participants or spectators, when a fee is charged, or when you will occupy or build on forest land. A small elopement sits well below that. The forest does not publish rules for individual basins, so if you want chairs, decor or a larger group, call the Ouray Ranger District first. Our national forest and BLM guide explains the general rules and Leave No Trace basics.
Where to elope near Ouray
Yankee Boy Basin. The Forest Service describes the Canyon Creek to Yankee Boy road as a high clearance four wheel drive road with alpine scenery, wildflowers, waterfalls and old mining sites, usually open by mid June. If you do not own a capable vehicle, rent a jeep in town or hire a guide, and plan on an early start. Afternoon storms are routine in summer.
The Alpine Loop. This backcountry byway links Ouray, Silverton and Lake City over Engineer and Cinnamon passes. The Forest Service lists it at 63 miles, topping out around 12,800 feet, with portions that require high clearance four wheel drive. It is a full day trip, so most couples pick one overlook rather than the whole loop.
Box Cañon Falls Park. The city’s waterfall park, where Canyon Creek drops through a narrow quartzite gorge. In 2026 it opened in May, ran 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. from May 23 through Labor Day and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until November 2, and closes November through April. Admission is charged at the gate, no reservations are needed and dogs are not allowed. The city does not list Box Cañon among its rentable venues, so ask the city before planning a ceremony there.
Ridgway State Park. Just north of Ouray near the town of Ridgway, with a reservoir and San Juan views. State parks need a special activity agreement for events; see state park elopements.
City spaces you can rent
The City of Ouray rents spaces at Fellin Park, Rotary Park, the Ouray Hot Springs Pool and the Ouray Community Center through its reservation forms.
- Fellin Park regularly hosts weddings. You can reserve the gazebo, a picnic site, the playground shelter, the western park space, or the whole park.
- Rotary Park, about a mile north of the hot springs pool on US 550, has two reservable picnic areas under spruce and fir.
- Ouray Hot Springs Pool, open all year at the entrance to town, offers three event spaces, a white tent, an overlook pavilion and the overlook pool, each rented by the hour with a two hour minimum; check current rates with the city, and note that pool admission is separate. Email events@cityofouray.com.
- Ouray Community Center works for a reception: the San Juan Room holds up to 80, and the Massard Room more than 280, with a commercial kitchen.
Serving alcohol at a public event needs a special event permit, which the city says takes at least six weeks for state approval.
Red Mountain Pass and winter
US 550 over Red Mountain Pass, between Ouray and Silverton, is the direct route for guests driving up from Durango. CDOT schedules winter maintenance closures every year and warns that safety closures can happen at any time; parking and recreating between the closure points is prohibited during those operations. Check COtrip.org the morning of the ceremony, and give guests coming from the south a buffer in the schedule. Winter in town is quiet and lovely, but the basins are snowbound, so plan on the hot springs, the parks or a lodge.
Choosing an Ouray elopement photographer
Ask whether they drive Yankee Boy themselves or work with a jeep guide, how they handle afternoon storms, and whether they hold a commercial photography permit for forest land, which the forest handles on a separate application.
Vendors and next steps
Browse photographers and other vendors in the Telluride and San Juans region, compare Telluride wedding venues over the ridge, and read the Telluride and San Juans guide. Keep your dates and shortlist in the free planner.
Related reading: our Durango and Pagosa Springs elopement guide.
