On the Skyline Trail on South Hill, the gentlest accessible route begins at the Top of the World Trailhead on the crest of the hill, and you reach it by driving dirt roads past the radio towers. If your only time on the trail was the spring ribbon cutting, or a quick climb from Upland Way, the trail has more to offer from the top.
The Green River Greenbelt Task Force held the official grand opening at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at the Upland trailhead. Five months later, the trail is heading into its first late fall and winter. The work on the hill is still going, too. The ground disturbed during construction is in the middle of a restoration that local teams spent late summer pushing forward.
A trail built for the gentlest grade
The Bureau of Land Management describes Skyline as a 4.1-mile system with three trailheads. The surface is compacted road base, about 8 feet wide on average, with a maximum cross slope of 5 percent. The accessible portion is called Dustin's Path, and its slopes run from 0 to 12 percent. Anywhere the running slope tops 5 percent, flat resting spots are built into the trail.
Those resting spots are easy to walk past without noticing. The Green River Star's May coverage explained that wood pieces are set into the tread so the ground levels out, and on the steeper stretches the level areas sit closer together. The same story noted that the whole trail is reachable by emergency personnel, with enough room for a helicopter to land if needed. Task Force chairman John Freeman also said that not every part of the trail is fully ADA accessible, but most of it is.
The grades decide which trailhead suits your outing.
| Trailhead | How you get there | Accessible route? | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upland | Trailhead lot off Upland Way | Yes | Starts at the bottom of a large hill |
| Western Wyoming | Far south end of the Western Wyoming Community College lot | No | Passes through steep canyon terrain |
| Top of the World | Dirt roads off Whalen Peak Road | Yes, the gentlest | Connects down the hill to both other trailheads |
The hard work on the Upland route comes at the very start, because it begins at the bottom. The Top of the World route starts with the view and descends gently toward the other two trailheads. For anyone walking with a stroller or a mobility device, or with a family member who prefers an easy grade, the top is the better start.
Getting to the top
The BLM's directions for the Top of the World Trailhead are worth reading before you go, because the last stretch has several forks:
- From Interstate 80, take exit 91 onto East Flaming Gorge Way.
- At the light, turn right onto Uinta Drive and keep going straight for 3.5 miles as it becomes Highway 530.
- Turn right onto Whalen Peak Road. You're on dirt from here.
- Drive 1 mile to the intersection just before the radio towers, then turn left.
- Drive 1.3 miles. You'll reach three more forks, and you keep left at each one until you get to the trailhead.
For the Upland Trailhead, drive 2 miles on Uinta Drive, turn left onto Upland Way, and turn right into the trailhead lot after a quarter mile. For the Western Wyoming Trailhead, stay on Upland Way for a full mile and turn right into the college parking lot.
The winter catch is that the easiest walking route depends on the roughest drive. The BLM page doesn't list a plowing schedule or seasonal closure for the dirt approach. It sends visitors to the Rock Springs Field Office for local conditions, at 307-352-0256 or 280 Highway 191 in Rock Springs. After a storm, a quick call before you drive up Whalen Peak Road can save you the trip. The Upland lot, a quarter mile off Uinta Drive, is the fallback when the top isn't an option.
What's along the way
You can tell the trail was built by people in town from the stops along it. Gratitude Rock is a prominent formation at the top of the hill, with two benches and two signs. One sign is a memorial to local veterans. The other explains that the Task Force named the rock out of gratitude for the community effort behind the project. Peaceful Point overlooks town from a large concrete pad, and one of the Task Force's last jobs there was putting up a windbreak. On a breezy South Hill afternoon in November, that windbreak is a welcome place to stop.
The interpretive signs cover a lot of ground. A sign at Dustin's Lookout tells the story of the trail's founding donation. Others cover the trona industry and acknowledge the Indigenous peoples of the Green River Basin. One sign overlooking Green River High School shares the school's history and was designed by the GRHS student council. The BLM's photos of the trail include panels on high desert wildflowers, the BLM's mission, and the history of the Skyline Trail.
GRHS students welded the metal for the signs and roughly half a dozen of the benches. According to the Star, store-bought benches would have cost about $3,000 each. The decorative metal trailhead name signs are the work of Tom Wilson.
How it got built
The trail became possible in 2024, when Dustin Shillcox set out to expand the Green River Greenbelt in a way that everyone could use. His foundation's donation got the project started. Freeman put it plainly to the Green River Star:
"If Dustin wouldn't have come up with the $100,000, this thing wouldn't have happened."
That $100,000 got the project moving, and in-kind work far exceeded it. Searle Brothers Construction contributed more than $1 million in in-kind donations. About 90 percent of the trail sits on BLM land, and Freeman credited the agency with getting the project through steps like the NEPA process. Today the trail is managed jointly by the Green River Greenbelt Task Force, the City of Green River Parks and Recreation Department, and the BLM.
The part still being finished
Before the opening, a $30,000 grant from the Foundation for America's Public Lands was split down the middle. Half went to the signs. The other $15,000 was set aside for hydroseeding the ground that construction disturbed. Freeman told the Star the seeding would make all the difference over the next few years, so the hillside looks natural rather than like the "scar" some people had complained about.
Reseeding comes after weeding. In late August, Parks and Rec and the Task Force asked for volunteers to pull invasive weeds from the disturbed areas so they could be reseeded, naming cheatgrass and halogeton as the targets. The Green River FFA answered first, and community members were invited to join their evening weed pulls. The GRHS wrestling team spent 5.5 hours on the project and filled 146 bags. The Green River Girls Softball team added another 100.
Parks and Rec's message in early September was that more work remained. Bags were left at the trailhead so anyone could grab one, pull some weeds, and drop the full bag in the trash can. If you see bags at a trailhead this fall, that's what they're for.
The hill is also coming back on its own. During construction, crews worked with the BLM to protect sites such as redtail hawk nests. By spring, Freeman said, groups of antelope that had stayed away were returning.
Before you head out
- The trail is open to nonmotorized use, and motorized accessibility equipment is allowed.
- Dogs must be on a leash.
- Hiking and biking are both listed uses, and there's no fee.
- The Task Force's Second Saturday program organizes volunteer days for trail building and maintenance, habitat work, and amenities like signs and benches across the Greenbelt.
On a clear day this fall, take Highway 530 to Whalen Peak Road, keep left at each fork, and start at the Top of the World. Walk down past Gratitude Rock to Peaceful Point, and look out over the Green River Valley the BLM describes from the overlooks.
South Hill changes how Green River looks, and it's one of the things Abby notices when she's showing homes around town. If you're curious about the parts of Green River near the Skyline trailheads, or just want to talk about life on this side of the river, Forever West Land & Home is happy to help. Let's Connect.
