Via Ferrata Triple Crown – Telluride, Ouray, Gold Mountain
Via Ferrata Triple Crown – Telluride, Ouray, Gold Mountain | Mountain Trip Guide Service Partnership with Basecamp Ouray
Only available in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, the Via Ferrata Triple Crown is a totally unique adventure incorporating all three local via ferrata routes—Telluride, Ouray, and Gold Mountain—into one package! We’re excited to be partnering with Basecamp Ouray to offer this extraordinary new trip. No where else in the United States can you find a combination of via ferrata routes like this one, with breathtaking alpine views, thrilling heights, and a distinctive physical and mental challenge.
Over the course of three straight days you will traverse more than four miles of terrain with Mountain Trip or Basecamp Ouray AMGA trained or certified guides. Each route offers its own unique experience and set of challenges. The trip starts with the Telluride Via Ferrata—the original San Juan via ferrata—started in 2006 by visionary local climber, Chuck Kroeger, and completed years later. The next day you will quest across the Ouray Via Ferrata, which traverses along the Uncompahgre Gorge across from the world-famous Ouray Ice Park. And on the final day you will journey up an astounding 1,200 vertical feet on the new Gold Mountain Via Ferrata. Keep reading to learn more about each of these great via ferratas!
The Telluride Via Ferrata is a classic via ferrata route in the sense that it’s a high-alpine traverse, and features an extraordinary thrill as only a small portion of the route is cabled. The rest is essentially a narrow hiking trail with a precarious 300-foot-plus drop off close to your side. Many choose to traverse this route with a guide as they can help provide additional protection through some of the uncabled sections of trail. With incredible views of Bridal Veil Falls and surrounding mountain peaks, this is easily the most scenic of the three courses—not to say the others aren’t scenic too!
The Ouray Via Ferrata follows steep granite walls through the Uncompahgre Gorge with beautiful views of the jagged peaks above and the rushing, colorful waters of the Uncompahgre River below. It has two routes to chose from, but for the Triple Crown we’ll do the classic Downstream Route. It’s 100% cabled with a mix of horizontal and vertical travel on fixed steel rungs, ending with either the Sky Bridge or Sky Climb, depending on your desired level of excitement.
The Gold Mountain Via Ferrata is the highlight of this entire trip! Access to the Gold Mountain Via Ferrata is very limited and we are thrilled to be able to run trips on this exclusive San Juan adventure through a new partnership with Basecamp Ouray, who manages the route. With sections of overhanging of rungs, it’s more physically challenging than the other two routes, although still made for beginners. It features 12 pitches, including two suspension bridges, and climbs a total of 1,200 vertical feet. It concludes on a one-of-a-kind, 300-foot suspension bridge—the second longest in the country. This makes the Gold Mountain Via Ferrata the highest and longest via ferrata in the United States! While on route, you’ll get a glimpse into the area’s unique mining history as the route takes you through the Memphis Mine, a historic gold mine that was operational in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. With only one group allowed at a time, the Gold Mountain Via Ferrata is an unforgettable experience that combines adventure, history, and stunning scenery. Additionally, after your epic climb and atop the Gold Mountain Via Ferrata, enjoy lunch at 11,000 feet at a summer BBQ kitchen with stunning mountain views.
With eight total via ferratas in Colorado, you can knock out three of them in as many days right here in the San Juan Mountains!
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