Goblin Valley State Park

About this place

Goblin Valley State Park is a state park in Emery County, Utah, about 23 km in a straight line north of the town of Hanksville. It lies in the San Rafael Desert on the south-eastern edge of the San Rafael Swell, north of the Henry Mountains, and Route 24 passes about 6 km to the east. The park is known for its thousands of hoodoos, locally called «goblins». Their odd shapes come from an erosion-resistant layer of rock sitting on softer sandstone, so the lower layer wears away faster and leaves «caps» on top. Together with Bryce Canyon it holds some of the largest concentrations of hoodoos in the world. The San Rafael area has pictograph and petroglyph panels left by the Fremont, Paiute and Ute peoples, and the secluded valley was found by cowboys searching for cattle. Hundreds of small orange and red forms fill the valley floor, looking like mushrooms, faces and animals, ringed by colourful cliffs and the mesa known as the Castle. You can wander freely among the hoodoos without set trails, children especially love exploring between them, and purple desert flowers sometimes bloom in the sand. A vehicle entry fee applies. Summer is very hot with almost no shade, so spring and autumn are best; the night sky is very dark here, and the park is certified for dark skies. Do not climb the fragile hoodoos.