Afraid of heights? Let this serve as a warning: Colorado's newest bridge lets you dangle 200-feet above ground with only four inches of rope between you and the air below.
If that sounds like fun, then seek out guiding company Basecamp Ouray. The company's newvia ferrata (Italian for 'iron path') which is a fixed climbing route made up of metal rungs that provide the handholds and footholds to get you up sheer rock faces with relative ease.
This particular via ferrata is special because it scales one of the town's most iconic and historical sites, Gold Mountain, named after the precious mineral found here during the town's mining heyday. The route incorporates many of the mining tunnels — including one that cuts through the mountain — as you steadily climb almost 1,000 feet in elevation. Finally, you're confronted with a four-inch wide, 250-foot-long rope bridge that hovers 200 feet above the cliffs below. You've seen Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom, right..?
Logan Tyler, a Ouray local and an accomplished climber, started the project three years ago in an effort to provide a climbing gym and space for the community to meet and train. The experience not only gives non-climbers the chance to sample the sport, but it also incorporates the incredible natural beauty of the surrounding area. In fact, the Colorado town of Ouray's natural alpine environment and scenery has earned it the nickname 'Switzerland of America.'
'Ultimately we see climbing as just a catalyst. There’s a deeper experience happening when we embark on these adventures and we value the opportunity to lead people into that experience. From day one, our goal has been to connect people through the experience of climbing and we see the Gold Mountain via ferrata as the perfect venue for doing so,' Tyler told Time Out.
This adrenaline-pumping experience is available through Basecamp Ouray. A snip at just $178 per person, that rate naturally includes all climbing gear and safety briefings. A local, professional guide will lead you and four of your equally-crazy friends up one of the most stunning climbing routes in the country.