The Green River, located in the western United States, is the chief tributary of the Colorado River. The watershed of the river, known as the Green River Basin, covers parts of Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado.

The source of the Green River is in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming and then flows through Wyoming and Utah for most of its course, except for about 40 miles (64 km) where it leaves Utah, enters extreme northwestern Colorado, travels through Dinosaur national monument to merge with the Yampa river and then flows back into Utah.

Much of the route is through the Colorado Plateau and through some of the most spectacular canyons in the United States. It is only slightly smaller than the Colorado when the two rivers merge, but typically carries a larger load of silt.

The confluence of the Colorado and the Green rivers is located in Canyonlands National Park, Utah.

Colorado River, Utah.

38.189167, -109.885278

Wind River Mountains, Peak Lake, Continental Divide Trail,

43.153611, -109.671667

730 miles

Source-Peak Lake,

Warren Bridge and Campground

New Fork River

Fontennelle Dam

Big Sandy River

IH 80

Bitter Creek (flowing from Rock Springs and House in Rock Springs)

Flaming Gorge NRC

Flaming Gorge Dam

Dinosaur National Monument

Swinging Bridge Campground (40.8291849, -109.0333349)

Brown Park NWR, Swinging Bridge (40.8279405, -109.0305355)

Gates of the Lodore Campground (40.7272661, -108.8878261) (VT, RS, TH)

Gates of the Lodore (40.7135890, -108.8918188)

Yampa River

Dinosaur National Monument

White River

IH 70

Canyonlands National Park

Primary: Colorado River

Source-Peak Lake

Roaring Fork Big

Warren Bridge CG

Fontennelle Dam

IH 80

Flaming Gorge NRC

Blacks Fork

Flaming Gorge Dam

Henrys Fork

Dinosaur National Monument

Brown Park Swinging Bridge (40.8279405, -109.0305355)

Gates of the Lodore (40.7135890, -108.8918188)

Dinosaur National Monument

Duchesne River

Price River

It is not until about ten this morning when I arrive at the highway and begin a very familiar route through northwest Wyoming. My first stop is at the Warren Bridge over the Green River where I stop and take photos of the two osprey in the nest atop the bridge. Then, I pull into the Warren Bridge campground to prepare my lunch, take a few more photos and finally continue north on US 191.

The highway then climbs up into Bridger-Teton National Forest over the summit near the Rim Station, which I normally stop at but do not do so today. Continuing north, US 191 follows the Hoback river downstream all the way to the Snake river at Hoback Junction.

I only stop along the roadway to take a couple of photos of the snake because I want to stop at the Grassy Lake Road campground to see if there is a site available.

I drive north on US 191, through Pinedale, Wyoming past the Kingdom hall on the right and then come to the junction with US 189 which has been coming up the Green River valley. I continue north of both US 191 and 189 following just east of the Green river and in only a short time, I come to the Green River crossing at Warren Bridge where I turn off of the highway into Warren Bridge campground which I find it open.

I drive the loop, and choose site number 17 which is closest to the pay kiosk and right across from the vault toilet. As I pull in, the host walks over to introduce herself and say hi. She tell me a little about the campground and asks if I have a generator. I tell her, No, I have solar panels. to which she replies, Then, I do not have to tell you the quite time, but I can tell you about the bald eagles perching on the nest pole across the green river. She also tells me that there are osprey nesting on the top of the bridge.

Upon awaking, I drive down to the w-mart, park and go in for coffee and WiFi. I make one more correction to my book and then upload it once again. Then, I drive west on IH80 and soon get off just after passing the Green River, where I take SR 372 north in a dry desert-like landscape of the Wyoming Basin ecoregion and soon enter the Seedskadee Wildlife Refuge where I see and photograph a lot of wildlife.

Here I turn east on SR 28 and drive to the Green River bridge crossing where I get off of the highway and drive a short distance into the park to see the location of the old Lombard Ferry that helped many an emigrant to get to the west side of the river.

Emigrant traffic to Oregon began with the Oregon bound wagons, then Brigham Young in 1847, and increased to about 12,000 people crossing the Green river in 1848. Then by 1849, when gold was discovered in California, then number increased again. Next, in 1860, the Pony Express began using this same crossing of the Green River, which riders used much the same route as the Oregon Trail. There was a Pony Express station located on the west bank just south of the ferry near the confluence of the Green River with the Big Sandy River.

The original ferry was built in 1843 and then another one by the men of a wagon train headed to Utah who arrived on the east bank of the Green River at 11:30 am on 30 June 1847. By the the 3rd of July, the entire party of 160 people, all of their livestock and 77 wagons were across the river and in only three more weeks, the party arrived at their destination.

This Green River ferry was operated from about 1843 through the 1850s during the peak years of the emigration and the fee was $3.00 per wagon and 25 cents per horse. Later, William Lombard operated the ferry from 1880 until the early 1900s when the first bridges were built, which forever ended any need for a ferry.

A replica of the Lombard Ferry was constructed and sits on the west bank of the green river. (41.880146, -109.805008)