Information
Landmark: Goblin Valley State ParkCity: Green River
Country: USA Utah
Continent: North America
Goblin Valley State Park, Green River, USA Utah, North America
Overview
Nestled between the jagged San Rafael Reef and the hazy outline of the Henry Mountains in south-central Utah, Goblin Valley State Park feels less like geology and more like wandering through a dream, where sandstone shapes rise like frozen dancers from the desert floor.The valley unfolds into a tangled expanse of odd, mushroom-shaped sandstone-thousands of them-nicknamed “goblins” by those who know the place.Shaped over 170 million years by wind and water, these quirky figures give the park a surreal charm, like a playground carved in stone.In the park, the goblins-also known as hoodoos-rise from soft, rust-colored Entrada Sandstone, rock that long ago lay under the shifting waters of a tidal flat.Over the years, wind and rain wore down the softer rock, leaving tough stone caps balanced on narrow, weathered columns.It feels like stepping into another world-a sweeping view of rounded towers, domes, and squat pillars, some shaped like faces, strange beasts, or whole cities caught mid-breath in stone.The colors change with the light-deep orange-brown at dawn, turning coppery when the noon sun blazes, then fading to a gentle rose as evening settles.From the overlook by the main parking lot, visitors peer into a sweeping stone amphitheater packed with strange, squat shapes-a sprawling “goblin city” that seems to call them in.Most parks keep you on marked trails, but here you’re free to roam, weaving your own route through the stone labyrinth and brushing past cool, shadowed walls.Walking through Goblin Valley feels at once close and boundless, like weaving between sandstone towers that seem to stretch on forever.Footsteps echo between towering stone figures as the sandy desert floor shifts underfoot, and with each turn, new shapes rise from the haze, sparking a quiet thrill of discovery.Kids and grown-ups weave, duck, and scramble through the maze, moving like explorers in a wild playground where the scent of fresh grass hangs in the air.Travelers often call the park “Mars on Earth,” a nickname that drew film crews here-Galaxy Quest among them-to capture its rust-red cliffs and alien-looking valleys.If you’re up for a longer walk, nearby paths like the Carmel Canyon Loop and Goblin’s Lair Trail lead you deeper into the valley, where red rock walls close in and the view shifts with every step.On the park’s east side, Goblin’s Lair hides a roomy chamber that takes a bit of scrambling to reach, but inside you’ll find a cool, dim cavern where a single beam of daylight slices down through the rock-a sharp contrast to the bright goblin fields just beyond.At Goblin Valley’s small campground, camping under the night sky becomes one of Utah’s most unforgettable desert experiences, with stars spilling across the dark like a handful of salt.Tucked between smooth, sun-warmed slickrock, the campsites feel secluded-almost as if each one’s your own hidden spot.When night settles over the park, its isolation feels like a gift-the Milky Way stretches overhead, sharp and bright against the dark, untouched by city glow.Goblin Valley’s an official International Dark Sky Park, so when night falls, the sky bursts with stars you’ll never forget.Although no major Native American villages stood in the valley, the hills around it still carry traces of Fremont and Ancestral Puebloan life-petroglyphs etched into sandstone and scattered archaeological remains.In the late 1920s, a group of cowboys became the first recorded non-Native explorers to notice Goblin Valley, stumbling across its strange, wind-carved shapes while tracking lost cattle.Few people had heard of the area until 1964, when it became a state park and signs finally went up along the highway.The air smells faintly of dust and juniper, while heat ripples off the red rock in shimmering waves.A soft breeze drifts through the rock formations, carrying faint whispers that slip into the narrow gaps between the goblins like dust on the air.Tiny lizards flicker through the shadows, while in spring, desert wildflowers burst in stubborn flashes of yellow and white against the warm, rust-red stones.Goblin Valley State Park still feels both magical and unpretentious-a stretch of desert where wind carves strange stone shapes, and visitors find themselves laughing, exploring, and pausing in quiet awe.Stay an hour or linger until the stars come out-it’s like stepping into a vast sculpture garden carved by wind, time, and the quiet patience of nature over millions of years.
