Dozens of people traveled to the site of the newly constructed Athena Mountain Biking Trail for a grand opening on Saturday. Just off of the I-70 exit, at a place known to locals as “tent city” for the concrete pads that once housed dozens of military tents, bikers can now climb nearby hills and buttes as they meander to a point that overlooks the Green River and San Rafael Swell.
Several years in the making, the Athena Trail is officially open to mountain bikers and non-motorized users. The trail is a step in a new direction for the City of Green River and the first of many trails in the making.
After securing a grant through the National Park Service and forming the Green River Trails Committee in 2014, the city of Green River has been working on a master plan for a trail system that would allow greater access to the natural beauty and history surrounding the Gunnison Valley.
The Athena Trail, a 5.5 mile loop designed for intermediate to expert riders, is the first to come from this plan and offers a taste of what is on the horizon.
The trail is named for the Athena missile, a long range intercontinental missile that was regularly launched from a former launch complex, the Green River Test Site, during the 1960s. When the military closed the site in the 1970s, the buildings and infrastructure were largely abandoned and left undeveloped. The Green River Trails Committee hopes that the former complex will now transform into a launch site for mountain bikers and hikers to enjoy a series of trails in the making.
At the ribbon cutting Saturday, Scott Escott with the Grand County Trails Committee and the brains behind the trail spoke on behalf of the new trail system that will come to Green River.
“I think we ended up with a better trail system because it’s like riding on the moon when you get around the corner and see the landscapes Green River has to offer,” Escott said.
