As the river winds south, the surrounding area becomes dryer. Around LaBarge gas wells start to become common but were not annoyingly intrusive. Below LaBarge, the surrounding countryside dries out and low bluffs of ancient sedimentary deposits start to close in on the river. Even so, it is still quite scenic and rich with bird life, although the large mammal sightings were fewer.

A few things really stand out about this section from the Lakes to Fontanelle Reservoir. First was the incredible wildlife. We saw moose every day but the last. Elk, deer, beaver, muskrats, chipmunks, and other mammals were common, and the bird watching was great. Along with common birds, there were Golden Eagles, Tundra Swans, and Sandhill Cranes. We never were close enough to civilization to be disturbed by road noise more than a mile or two, so bird songs were the sound-track all along the way. Second was the character of the scenery. Doug observed that most river trips are in canyons, but on the upper Green you are running in a broad valley, with snow-capped peaks in the distance. We could commonly see mountains more than fifty miles away. The vistas were grand rather than confined. Finally there was the solitude. Because this stretch is almost unknown to boaters, can only be run for a short time each year, and lacks any famous whitewater, we had the river virtually to ourselves. It seems ironic that this lovely stretch of river hasn't a single mile of wilderness, yet the solitude and wildlife experience is the finest I have enjoyed on any river in the west. For perspective I have run rivers in every state west of the continental divide, well over 2,000 miles on various western rivers including many famous "wilderness" runs.