Camp Chief Ouray was founded in December of 1907 and hosted its first campers in the summer of 1908. For the first 71 years of CCO’s existence, we were located north of Granby near current-day Lake Granby along the Colorado River. Camp started as a male only endeavor, but became co-ed in 1962. In 1979, YMCA of Metropolitan Denver sold Camp Chief Ouray to YMCA of the Rockies, and since 1980 CCO has made its home at Snow Mountain Ranch southeast of Granby.

We celebrated our 100th Anniversary in 2008. The celebration took place at both the “old” CCO site and the present-day site. We unveiled our museum relics dating all the way back to that first summer. We are still collecting old camp picture albums, old letters you wrote home from camp, and your camp memories and stories.

To subscribe to the Saddlebag newsletter and hear what’s going on at camp, please call (970) 887-2648, or e-mail the camp office: chiefouray@ymcarockies.org