This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Ouray Trail Group, an organization founded in 1986 by a small group of locals who shared a love for the outdoors and a desire to protect and improve access to Ouray’s trails. Much of this history has been thoughtfully documented by Karen Risch, whose writing captures both the milestones and the people behind the organization. What began as a grassroots effort has grown into a long-standing tradition of stewardship, volunteerism, and community involvement. Click here to read her full article.
From Single-Day Projects to 11 Weekend Work Trips — OTG Has a Trail Stewardship Trip for You! Our 2025 Trail Work Trip Schedule is live! Whether you're up for a one-day outing or a full weekend in the backcountry, there's a spot for you on the crew. These volunteer trips are a great way to give back, explore beautiful places, and keep Ouray’s trails in top shape.
Note: I have a Ph.D. in Meteorology but had to come home and google this. I probably learned this a long time ago but it wasn't something I thought about much until I saw these beautiful crystals!
Lately there have been amazing displays of hoar frost around Ironton. A group of OTG members went snowshoeing up there on Saturday 12/7 – the following pics are from that trip. However, it's not uncommon to see hoar frost up there – keep reading and see why!
Hoar frost is the beautiful feathery frost that you sometimes see, while 'regular' frost is is the white coating you see on grass on a cold morning. Both of them form when water vapor (vapor not liquid!) freezes on contact with a below-freezing object – it could be the ground or a tree branch or a snow bank. The ice crystals in hoar frost grow in beautiful and very delicate shapes – sometimes as large as an inch or 2. That much growth requires time (probably 6 hours or so), high humidity (so there is enough water vapor to keep growing the crystals), very cold air, and very still air. Surface hoar is when the crystals grow on top of the snow, but crystals can also form on tree branches or twigs.Surface hoar that gets buried by subsequent snowfall can result in a weak layer in the subsequent snowpack and thus increased avalanche risk.
Where and when can I see it? First of all, it needs to be very cold so the crystals have formed but not melted – that means early morning or a very cold air. Clear, still nights lead to the best conditions – lots of radiational cooling. Also, you will most likely see it near areas where there is a nearby open stream (more moisture), but you do also see it where the moisture could be coming up from the internal snowpack. No wind is important both for keeping it cooler (no mixing) and not breaking the crystals. Get out and explore and enjoy!
Want news of OTG or our weekly work trips? We've got mailing lists for that. Ouray Trail Group recently switched mailing services and we have self-subscribe options for you to add or remove yourself from the lists.
OTG Newsletters come out once a month and have general announcements, summaries of trips that have happened or are about to and pictures of the group in action. When you become a member, you automatically are subscribed to this list.
Weekly Work emails are sent summer through fall and detail the weeks work trips. There's generally a work trip on Mondays and Thursdays but as changes are made, they'll be listed in this email. Expect one email per week but more if weather changes our plans.
To join the weekly work list, use this subscription form:
