Goblin Valley State Park, in Utah, is located just off highway 70 along highway 24 and definitely worth a detour to visit if you’re heading out to Canyonlands or Arches national parks. As our trip started in Las Vegas, we found that Goblin Valley was a great place to stop on the way to Moab to both break up the drive and give us a taste of what was to come on our national park adventure.
Being so remote, Goblin Valley is actually well known for night sky viewing. The park is at an elevation of 5,000 ft and virtually free of any light pollution making it a great place to observe the Milky Way. We were only passing through in the afternoon, and anxious to get up to Moab, so we did not partake on this visit, but it may be worth planning your trip to enjoy the night sky too.
The ‘Goblins’, known more scientifically as hoodoos, are formed by the gradual erosion of sandstone due to flood waters and windblown dust. This area was a tidal flat next to an ancient sea some 170 million years ago. More recently, well about 50 million years ago, it was uplifted and then gradually eroded into what we see today.
Goblin Valley was only acquired by the state of Utah in 1964, when it was designated a state park.
The Three Sisters
One of the first things which grabs your attention driving into the park is the famous Three Sisters formation. While you can see it well from the road, the hike to get up close is an easy one and we enjoyed getting closer to marvel at the goblins.
Valley of the Goblins
Go a little further along the road and you’ll pull up on the main attraction of the park, the Valley of the Goblins. There are a number of viewpoints from the parking lot, but you can also take the stairs down into the valley and walk amongst the goblins and get a closer view. There are no trails per say, and it’s ok to roam around freely, they just ask that you pay attention to the more fragile hoodoos. Of course, don’t push yourself over the edge for that perfect ‘once in a lifetime’ selfie either!
Those staying longer can take advantage of a multitude of hiking trails including Goblin’s Lair, which descends down into a cave (they say this takes some bouldering skills and is not for the faint of heart).
While many of the hoodoos here are smaller than those you see in Bryce Canyon, the detail and multitude of formations is breathtaking, and we really enjoyed our visit. In our case, it was the first park that we visited on our weeklong trip to Arches, Canyonlands, and Dead Horse Point State Park and was the perfect prelude to a week of hiking. Definitely worth the small detour off the main road and given more time I know we would have enjoyed a few of the hikes and the night sky.
Good to know
The park is open from 6 am to 10 pm with the Visitor Center open from 9 am to 5 pm.
As Goblin Valley is a state park, the entry is not covered by the national park pass. A single vehicle entry cost $15 and is valid for two days ($10 if you are a senior).
There are camping facilities ($35) and also a very limited number of yurts ($100) for those interested in staying longer.
For more specifics about the trails and the park facilities see: Goblin Valley State Park