U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper recently visited Ridgway to hear directly from Ouray County business owners about the economic impact of the Gold Mountain Fire and a challenging 2026 tourism season.

Hickenlooper joined RACC, local officials, and several business owners from the Town of Ridgway and City of Ouray for a roundtable discussion at True Grit Café. The goal was simple: to listen and better understand how the fire, smoke, and resulting decline in tourism affected the local business community.

Business owners reported that July was particularly difficult, with some businesses experiencing 30–65% declines in business compared with a typical season. For some, the downturn meant cutting hours for staff and making difficult decisions about how to manage through the slowdown.

The challenges, however, began well before the Gold Mountain Fire. Businesses pointed to the ski strike in January, an unusually warm winter, and the subsequent fire and smoke as a series of setbacks that compounded throughout the year. By the time summer arrived, many businesses were already facing significant headwinds.

Despite the difficult circumstances, the message coming out of the roundtable was not one of defeat. Local businesses are slowly crawling back, working hard to make the most of what remains of the 2026 season and doing everything they can to salvage the year.

For RACC and the local business community, having Senator Hickenlooper sit down and listen directly to the people affected was an important opportunity to make sure the economic realities facing Ouray County are understood at the state and federal level.

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