Welcome to Ridgway

Ridgway at Night – Val Szwarc

Many visitors come to Ridgway for its diverse and plentiful outdoor opportunities. Popular activities include hiking in the iconic Mount Sneffels Wilderness Area, and sightseeing under Chimney and Courthouse Peaks near Owl Creek Pass in the Cimarron Mountains. Then, there’s biking the paved trail from downtown to Ridgway State Park along the Uncompahgre River, and paddle boarding or kayaking the Ridgway Reservoir. A growing number of visitors are also discovering the Ridgway area treasure – star-filled dark skies.

I invite you to visit our internationally recognized Dark Sky Community where you can see the Milky Way in town, thanks to our shielded street lights and lighting ordinance that are compliant to International Dark Sky Association (IDA) standards. Outside the edge of town the night sky is truly pristine just like the Native Americans and early pioneers experienced. Top of the Pines (TOP), a Ouray County recreation area just six miles south of town, helps preserve the area’s dark sky assets as well since IDA designated this community recreation area a Dark Sky Park in the Fall of 2021. Here, astrophotographers, amateur astronomers and stargazers like me are taking advantage of some of the darkest star-filled skies in Colorado. Ridgway is a welcoming and vibrant community, with valuing the outdoors as part of its DNA. Each of us has some pastime we love in our beautiful landscape, from hiking the many trails and cross-country skiing on the groomed trails at Top of the Pines to summer concerts in downtown Ridgway. This is what drew me to the area 25-plus years ago, and moved me here about seven years ago. As I and many visitors have found, you will be drawn to return time and time again to this mountain town gem of the San Juan Mountains.

Val Szwarc Dark Sky Preservation Advocate Top of the Pines Board Member

first visit to ridgway: in the early 1980s years in ridgway: seven years full time, but part time since the mid-1990s profession: Retired from a career as a research meteorologist and aerospace engineer volunteer activities: I devote time to helping support the community in and around Ridgway, including helping to protect the dark night sky of the area through the Ridgway-Ouray Community Council Dark Sky Committee. I am also a member of the boards of directors for Top of the Pines, Colorado Chapter of IDA, and Black Canyon Astronomical Society. favorite pastime: skiing the backcountry above Ridgway most amazing local view: The in-your-face view of the Mount Sneffels Range from Top of the Pines, just six miles south of Ridgway