About Bear Creek Falls
Bear Creek Falls was an impressively tall waterfall hidden in plain sight underneath the famed Million Dollar Highway just to the south of the scenic town of Ouray.
Ironically enough, just on the other side of Telluride Peak by the town of Telluride (about 10 miles as the crow flies) was another Bear Creek Falls, but they are not the same.
Anyways, according to the contour lines on my Gaia GPS map, this waterfall featured a 120ft drop beneath the Hwy 550 before joining up with the Uncompahgre River.
The picture that you see above was how we saw this waterfall late in the season in mid-October 2020.
We actually had an opportunity to stop and experience this waterfall on a road trip three months earlier where it would have had much better flow as evidenced by the number of people we saw around there.
Unfortunately, for some reason, we didn’t bother stopping for it, and it was one of my regrets on that trip.
We didn’t even have an excuse not to do it (other than we hadn’t planned on stopping for it since we weren’t aware of it prior to the trip), especially since it was roadside with a fairly spacious pullout next to the overlook.
Next to the fairly spacious pullout were some interpretive signs as well as an overhanging lookout peering right down at the Bear Creek Falls.
This lookout also yielded us a view further along the steep Uncompahgre Canyon towards Abrams Mountain as well as a seasonal waterfall on Ralston Creek directly opposite the canyon.
As far as lighting is concerned, I’d imagine that afternoon would be the best time since this waterfall faces west, but our visit happened in the early morning so we didn’t have to look against the sun.
Authorities
Bear Creek Falls resides in the Uncompahgre National Forest just south of the town of Ouray in Ouray County, Colorado. It is administered by the USDA Forest Service. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website.
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Bear Creek Falls July 27, 2024 11:09 am - Bear Creek Falls is the last waterfall you will see before passing through the tunnel on the Million Dollar Highway driving from SIlverton to Ouray. The highway and bridge pass over the falls as shown in the photo as viewed from the viewing platform with parking area and pulloff just beyond the falls. The viewing… ...Read More
tributary creek falls to Uncompahgre River south of Ouray December 22, 2020 8:16 pm - This waterfall is among several on the "Million Dollar Highway" south of Ouray. It can be seen a few miles south of Ouray from the highway looking across the Uncompahgre River canyon to the west. Along this route of highway Bear Creek Falls plunges within yards of the highway crossing Bear Creek. ...Read MoreNearest Waterfalls
