Colorado Web Cams
Ophir, Colorado
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Established in 1881, Ophir is a historic mining town, at
an elevation of 9,725 feet /
2,964 meters, at the western base of 11,789 foot / 3,593 meter Ophir Pass, which connects the town of Ophir to Silverton via a rugged,
very scenic unpaved road,
which I've had the pleasure to take many years ago. It's also at the
base of a second pass to the east, Lizard Head Pass, yet another scenic
drive, this time on a 10,222-foot / 3,116 meter paved mountain pass carrying Highway 145, a well
traveled road - for this part of Colorado, anyway.
Ophir is very small area wise, a true hamlet, which has a total area of only 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2), all land, and it is located in San Miguel County. Ophir became a ghost town after the mines closed and it's population decline from 140 people in 1880, to only 2 in 1940, and it stayed at just 2 for at least 20 years, and below 10 residents until the early 1970s. Today it's on the rebound, with 197 people living there as of the 2020 U.S. Census, The opening of the nearby Telluride Ski Resort in 1972 gave Ophir new life, as a bedroom community to the town of Telluride, which is a 15 minute drive away.
This hamlet is also known for its many snow avalanches, and very cold winters. Ophir experiences a high volume of snow avalanches because of it being nestled in and surrounded by the San Juan Mountains, and the town and its main access road lie directly in the path of numerous avalanche zones, making it one of the most threatened inhabited valleys in North America. The natural slides have closed the only road into and out of the town for days on end. The small town is split into East and West Ophir, divided by a large, deliberate swath of empty land where avalanches frequently run. Building in these high-risk areas is strictly regulated,
The climate here is dominated by the winter season, a long and bitterly cold period, with short days, lots of snow, and temperatures dropping to around zero in the evening, especially in January, but as low as -20°F (-29°C) on the coldest nights, thanks in part to the snowpack that sticks around from November to April in most years. Summers here are cool with low humidity, but some warm days do take place, with 74°F (23°C) being the all time record high, set in July. Ophir receives an annual average snowfall of around 155 inches / 394 cm each season. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Ophir is -38°F (-39°C ). In some weather databases, an older reading of -46°F (-43°C) has also been reported in Ophir, but this reading wasn't official, where as the -38°F reading, was documented in the town's historical climate summary as taking place on at least 3 different dates; two in January and also on February 2, 1985. There are actually several dates listed between December and February noted with temps at or below -30°F (-34°C).
The web cams shown here are located on Colorado Highway 145, by the entrance to town, one mile outside of Ophir.
Ophir is very small area wise, a true hamlet, which has a total area of only 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2), all land, and it is located in San Miguel County. Ophir became a ghost town after the mines closed and it's population decline from 140 people in 1880, to only 2 in 1940, and it stayed at just 2 for at least 20 years, and below 10 residents until the early 1970s. Today it's on the rebound, with 197 people living there as of the 2020 U.S. Census, The opening of the nearby Telluride Ski Resort in 1972 gave Ophir new life, as a bedroom community to the town of Telluride, which is a 15 minute drive away.
This hamlet is also known for its many snow avalanches, and very cold winters. Ophir experiences a high volume of snow avalanches because of it being nestled in and surrounded by the San Juan Mountains, and the town and its main access road lie directly in the path of numerous avalanche zones, making it one of the most threatened inhabited valleys in North America. The natural slides have closed the only road into and out of the town for days on end. The small town is split into East and West Ophir, divided by a large, deliberate swath of empty land where avalanches frequently run. Building in these high-risk areas is strictly regulated,
The climate here is dominated by the winter season, a long and bitterly cold period, with short days, lots of snow, and temperatures dropping to around zero in the evening, especially in January, but as low as -20°F (-29°C) on the coldest nights, thanks in part to the snowpack that sticks around from November to April in most years. Summers here are cool with low humidity, but some warm days do take place, with 74°F (23°C) being the all time record high, set in July. Ophir receives an annual average snowfall of around 155 inches / 394 cm each season. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Ophir is -38°F (-39°C ). In some weather databases, an older reading of -46°F (-43°C) has also been reported in Ophir, but this reading wasn't official, where as the -38°F reading, was documented in the town's historical climate summary as taking place on at least 3 different dates; two in January and also on February 2, 1985. There are actually several dates listed between December and February noted with temps at or below -30°F (-34°C).
The web cams shown here are located on Colorado Highway 145, by the entrance to town, one mile outside of Ophir.
- Ophir Cams from CDOT are all down -
1 mile south of Ophir, CO
CO Hwy 145 - North heading towards
Telluride, Colorado
1 mile south of Ophir, CO
CO Hwy 145 South- heading towards Lizard
Head Pass, Colorado
- Map -
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