Green River

For most travelers, the southeast Utah town of Green River is a convenient but run-down resting spot along I-70; for river runners, it's a hub for trips on the Green River. The real gem here is an 85-mile week-long float down Desolation and Gray Canyons north of town. This relatively mild canoe or kayak trip requires either a very long car shuttle or a more convenient air shuttle north from town to the put-in spot (called Sand Wash, near the town of Myton). Paddlers are rewarded with spectacular canyon scenery and some great rock art. Sego Canyon rock art has both Barrier Canyon art (up to 8,000 years old) and more recent Fremont Style ...

For most travelers, the southeast Utah town of Green River is a convenient but run-down resting spot along I-70; for river runners, it's a hub for trips on the Green River. The real gem here is an 85-mile week-long float down Desolation and Gray Canyons north of town. This relatively mild canoe or kayak trip requires either a very long car shuttle or a more convenient air shuttle north from town to the put-in spot (called Sand Wash, near the town of Myton). Paddlers are rewarded with spectacular canyon scenery and some great rock art. Sego Canyon rock art has both Barrier Canyon art (up to 8,000 years old) and more recent Fremont Style images. If you don't have a week, local outfitters offer guided day trips. Shorter (2-3 day) trips are also found downstream from town through Labyrinth and Stillwater Canyons. Off the river, the area around Green River has great scenery; visit the San Rafael Swell (popular with off-roaders and mountain bikers) and, to the east, excellent rock art and a ghost town at Sego Canyon.

About the Expert

Judy Jewell and W.C. McRae are frequent collaborators: together they have written Moon Handbooks to Montana, Utah, and Zion-Bryce and updated the Moon Handbooks to Oregon and Coastal Oregon. Judy wrote the Compass American Guide to Oregon.