Goblin Valley State Park

Goblin Valley State Park, in the remote San Rafael Swell of central Utah, preserves one of the most extraordinary geological landscapes in the American West — a half-mile-wide valley carved into the Entrada Sandstone whose floor is crowded with thousands of mushroom-shaped hoodoos (the “goblins”), eroded into endlessly varied shapes by millennia of wind and water working on the softer layers within the sandstone, creating a landscape unlike anything else on Earth.

The park is remote (4 hours from Salt Lake City, 2 hours from Moab) and sees far fewer visitors than the southern Utah national parks, giving it an intimacy and wildness rare in the Colorado Plateau. The goblin formations can be walked among freely, touched, climbed, and explored at will — no trails are required. Goblin Valley State Park is a treasured geological icon of Utah.

Goblin Valley State Park offers free-roaming exploration of the goblin valley floor (the unique and defining experience — unlike virtually any other geological park in the United States, there are no mandatory trails through the main valley; visitors walk freely among the goblin hoodoos, scrambling over, between and around the formations, discovering hidden alcoves and improbable mushroom shapes; bring a topographic sense of direction), hiking the rim trails (the Curtis Bench Trail and the Carmel Canyon Trail provide canyon-rim perspectives on the goblin valley), mountain biking on the surrounding San Rafael Swell desert roads, stargazing (Goblin Valley is one of the finest dark-sky sites in Utah, far from any city), camping at the campground (excellent sites with valley and mesa views), photography, and exploring the adjacent San Rafael Swell canyon system. The free-roaming goblin exploration and the dark-sky camping are the singular draws.

Spring (March through May) and fall (September through November) are the finest seasons — the desert temperatures are comfortable (50-75°F), the light on the orange Entrada Sandstone is spectacular (especially in the golden hour before sunset when the goblins glow amber and red), and the crowds are minimal. Summer (June through August) is hot (90-100°F in the valley floor) but manageable with early morning starts; the park is rarely crowded even in summer. Winter is cold but the goblins in snow are hauntingly beautiful. Spring and fall are the peak seasons for photography and comfortable exploration.

The San Rafael Swell has been inhabited by humans for thousands of years — the Fremont Culture people (700-1300 CE) left rock art panels in the surrounding canyon system (the Swell is rich in Fremont petroglyphs). The goblin valley itself was little-known to outsiders until the mid-20th century; it was discovered and named by cowboys in the 1920s and became accessible by road only in the 1950s. Utah State Parks established Goblin Valley State Park in 1964, protecting the goblin formations from vandalism and collecting. The park featured prominently in the film “Galaxy Quest” (1999), filmed here for its alien-landscape qualities.

Goblin Valley’s formations are carved from the Entrada Sandstone (Jurassic age, approximately 160 million years old) — an ancient aeolian (wind-deposited) sandstone laid down in a vast coastal desert environment. The goblin shapes result from differential erosion: the Entrada Sandstone has alternating layers of harder and softer rock; water preferentially erodes the softer layers, undermining the harder cap rock and creating the mushroom shapes. Wind removes the eroded material. The formations continue to evolve — caps eventually erode off, exposing the softer core to rapid erosion and the formation collapses. The surrounding mesa is Moenkopi/Chinle formation. The goblin valley is an erosional remnant basin, where the surrounding rock has eroded away to expose the current valley level.

Goblin Valley State Park supports the desert-adapted wildlife of the Colorado Plateau — desert cottontails and black-tailed jackrabbits (visible at dawn and dusk), coyotes (often heard howling at night), kit foxes (nocturnal and rarely seen), collared lizards and side-blotched lizards (abundant on the warm rocks), Gambel’s quail, and golden eagles soaring over the rim. The remote desert setting and the dark sky attract migrating raptors in fall. The short-nosed horned lizard (commonly called “horny toad”) is occasionally seen in the sandy areas. Rattlesnakes are present (western diamondback and Great Basin rattlesnake) — watch where you put your hands when scrambling.

Goblin Valley State Park’s ecological community is that of the Colorado Plateau cold desert — cryptobiotic soil crust (a living community of cyanobacteria, lichens, mosses and fungi that stabilizes the desert surface and is extremely slow to recover from crushing — the black, knobby crust visible between plants is alive), blackbrush, Utah juniper, and Mormon tea on the mesa; sparse desert annuals in the sandy valley floor. The valley floor is essentially bare rock and sandy wash — low primary productivity but high geological interest. Protecting the cryptobiotic soil crust (stay on rock or in sandy wash channels; never walk on the crust) and the goblin formations (never pry off, break or damage the formations) sustains the ecological and geological integrity.

Goblin Valley State Park holds a cherished place among the geological icons of Utah — a uniquely intimate, freely-explorable geological wonder unlike the national park experience, in a remote corner of the San Rafael Swell that rewards the effort to get there. Its alien landscape (film crews have used it repeatedly for sci-fi productions), its dark sky, its free-roaming exploration ethic, and its Entrada Sandstone sculptures make it one of the most memorable geological experiences in the American West. Goblin Valley is a treasured natural icon of Utah.

Goblin Valley State Park is in Emery County, central Utah, reached via UT-24 west from Hanksville (about 25 miles) or UT-10 east from Price/Green River via Temple Mountain Road. The park entrance is about 5 miles off UT-24 via Goblin Valley Road. The nearest services are in Green River (55 miles north) or Hanksville (about 25 miles southeast). The park has a campground, restrooms and a small picnic area at the valley overlook. A Utah State Parks fee applies. The road to the park is paved. Check Utah State Parks for current hours, fees and campground availability before visiting.

Utah State Parks manages Goblin Valley State Park. The goblin formations are irreplaceable geological features — never pry off, break, push over or damage the formations in any way (significant fines and criminal charges apply; a 2013 incident in which visitors pushed over a formation became a national news story). Cryptobiotic soil crust is present between formations and in the surrounding desert — walk only on rock surfaces or in sandy wash channels; never step on the black, knobby biological soil crust. Stay out of any closed or restoration areas. Pack out all trash. The remoteness of the park means a single piece of vandalism is disproportionately damaging — protect the goblins absolutely.

Summer temperatures in the valley floor exceed 100°F and shade is virtually nonexistent; carry a minimum of 2 liters of water per person and start exploration before 9 AM in summer. The sandy wash floor and rock surfaces are uneven; watch footing carefully when scrambling around the formations. Rattlesnakes (Great Basin rattlesnake) are present; watch where you place hands when scrambling and be cautious in boulder areas. Flash floods can occur in the side canyons after monsoon storms (July-September); check the forecast before entering any canyon drainage. Respect the heat, the rattlesnakes and the flash-flood potential.

Utah State Parks vehicle fee required. Camping requires advance reservation (check Utah State Parks). No collecting of rocks, fossils or formations. No climbing of goblin formations in ways that could damage them (check current park rules). No fires outside designated fire rings. Pets on leash; not allowed on the valley floor in some areas (check current rules). Cryptobiotic crust must not be walked on. Pack out all trash. Check Utah State Parks for current rules, fees and campground availability before visiting.

The San Rafael Swell (the broad anticline surrounding the park, with extraordinary slot canyons, Fremont rock art, and desert landscape accessible by high-clearance vehicle), Little Wild Horse Canyon (about 30 miles north — a spectacular slot canyon hikeable without a permit, one of the finest slot canyons in Utah accessible to all skill levels), Hanksville (southeast, the gateway to the Henry Mountains and Capitol Reef NP), Capitol Reef National Park (about 2 hours southeast), and the remote Robbers Roost country (Edward Abbey’s haunt) define the region. Goblin Valley anchors the San Rafael Swell experience; combine with Little Wild Horse Canyon for the finest day in central Utah.

Visit the valley floor at sunset — the Entrada Sandstone glows amber, orange and deep red as the light rakes across the formations, and the shadows between the goblins deepen into theatrical contrast. Stay for the full dark sky after sunset (bring a red-light headlamp and a star chart; the Milky Way overhead is extraordinary). Explore the Three Sisters formation area (the three largest goblin clusters near the parking area) first, then work your way to the valley edges where the formations are less visited and more varied. If you camp, wake before sunrise for the magic blue light on the goblins before the crowds arrive (which, at Goblin Valley, is rarely more than a few dozen people even in peak season).