The river that gives this town its name is also the reason the town matters. John Wesley Powell, the one-armed Civil War veteran, launched his two famous expeditions down the Green and Colorado Rivers from here in 1869 and 1871, and a small island in the middle of town, Expedition Island, marks the spot where his boats slid into the current. It is worth a short walk across a footbridge, because the sight of this wide, green water in the middle of the high desert is a small shock.
Green River is smaller and quieter than Rock Springs, a county seat with around twelve thousand residents, railroad roots and a trona industry that digs a salt used in glass and detergents from the ground nearby. The rock around the town is the prize for geologists: the Green River Formation holds some of the world's best fossil fish, preserved by the thousands in ancient lake beds, and you will see them sold in shops across the region. Towers of sandstone, Castle Rock and Tollgate Rock, rise at the edge of town and give it a frontier-fort silhouette.
For riders, the town is the doorway to the Flaming Gorge Scenic Byway. The first stretch south is straightforward highway across open sagebrush, with wide views and a tendency for the wind to push sideways. As you reach the reservoir area the terrain tightens, the red rock walls appear and the corners begin to matter. Mornings are cool even in summer, and by afternoon the desert heat builds, so an early start is rewarded. Watch for pronghorn near the road and for livestock that has wandered.
Services are no problem here. There is fuel, groceries, a number of diners and plenty of motel rooms, and the downtown, while modest, has a few old brick storefronts worth a glance. If you want a better look at the water, the river path near the island is a quiet place for a sandwich. Rock Springs is just a short ride east if you need anything bigger, but most riders find this is the better place to start the day.