Explore slot canyons near Green River

The small town of Green River Utah only has a population of about 1000 people, the town motto is “The waypoint to wild”, which is fitting for this outdoor adventurers’ paradise and gateway to Goblin Valley State Park.

There are ample opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, ATVing, exploring canyons, discovering ancient Indian petroglyphs, photographing beautiful vistas, camping, and a whole lot more, all without the crowds of Moab.

The San Rafael Swell is a giant anticline of rock that was pushed up 60 million years ago, over time water eroded the sandstone and created the canyons we enjoy exploring today. The swell is bisected by the I-70 interstate, creating an area to explore both north and south of the highway. 

The town takes its name from the Green River that runs through the town and eventually makes its way to meet the Colorado River in Canyon Lands National Park. The Shoshone Indians called it Seeds-kee-dee-Agie, or Prairie Hen River. But Spaniard and Mexican explorers named it the Rio Verde or Green River. 

The town owes its birth to the Old Spanish Trail which ran from New Mexico to California and crossed the Green River three miles north of town. The value of this crossing point lead to the first known settlement here in 1878 established as a mail route between Salina and Ouray, Colorado via Moab and called Blake City, after the station manager. The Denver & Rio Grande Railroad came to town eight years later and the name became Greenriver eventually, to become Green River.

Rock art near Green River

With the railroad, Greenriver experienced a boom period, one of its many booms and busts. At that time there were as many as fifteen saloons operating in the town and the area had an outlaw reputation being a central location for outlaws operating in the territory and hiding out in the Robbers Roost Canyon south of here. The railroad built an engine house, switching yards, and a three-story hotel called the Palmer House, and Greenriver was a central place for shipping cattle, produce, and supplies to and from the area. 

An oil boom took place in the 1900s, a uranium boom in the 1950s, and a military boom in 1964 with a launch complex associated with the White Sands Missile Base in New Mexico. All told the population of Green River was once twice what it is today.

Watermelons have always been grown here and are part of the town’s agricultural history, and are still celebrated today with the town’s annual Melon Days celebration.

Swasey’s Beach
About 10 miles north of town along Hastings Road is a sand beach on a long bend of the Green River, swimming and picnicking, nice for dogs to cool off.

John Wesley Powell River History Museum
http://www.johnwesleypowell.com
Cost $7.00
Hours Mon–Sat 9am–5pm

See interpretive exhibits detailing the life of John Wesley Powell and his impact on the history of the Colorado Plateau and river culture in this region.