What Is Goblin Valley And Where Is It?
When you think of Utah and you’re not from Utah, you probably think of the national parks like Zion, Arches an Bryce Canyon National Park. The Utah tourism people have burned images of those parks into your mind. As the crowds visiting those parks increase to insane levels, the magic of going to those parks to get away from it all fades.
A Trip to Goblin Valley State Park can be one way to get away from the madness of those over promoted national parks. Goblin Valley is located near Hanksville, Utah which is a tiny town with a burger shack and not much else. It is located about an hour from Capitol Reef National Park which is located near Torrey, Utah. Torrey is a little bit bigger than Hanksville but not by much. At least there is an expensive grocery store and gas available in Torrey.
Goblin Valley State Park is located in the San Rafael Desert in the San Rafael Swell. It gets its name from the “goblins” in the park. The goblins are actually just hoodoos. Unlike the hoodoos at Bryce Canyon National Park that look more like spires, the hoodoos at Goblin Valley often tend to be more rounded and actually look like goblins. Their is a Goblin Valley Campground but the park is so far away from any real services or shops that you will want to go there will a full gas tank and all the food and other supplies you will need for the duration of your stay.
What Is It Like To Travel To Goblin Valley State Park For Photography?
Chances are if you are going to Goblin Valley, it will not be our sole destination unless you live fairly close and take a road trip to the park. For most people Goblin Valley is more or less in the middle of nowhere and off the radar of most people. If you’ll be flying into the area you’ll probably want to fly into the Grand Junction, Colorado airport which is about 150 miles from Goblin Valley. If you want to fly into a large airport, the Salt Lake City airport is probably your best bet.
Since Goblin Valley is in the middle of nowhere with no real services near the park you’ll want to take everything you might need with you for the entire duration of your tip to Goblin Valley if you’ll be staying there in the Goblin Valley Campground. The campground will cost you $35/night and include the whopping $15 day use entry fee. Reservations will be necessary at times and can be made online for an additional reservation fee. There are no hookups in the campsites but there are two yurts with hearing and air conditioning in the park.
The road to the park and in the park a good roads. You won’t need any special vehicle or tires unless there is foul weather in the winter.
Once you get to Goblin Valley, there are goblins all over the place. There are a bunch back behind the campground and others closer to the park entrance. When you go to Goblin Valley you are free to hike around wherever you want but are expected to do so with minimal impact. Knocking over the goblins as these boy scouts did number of years ago is strictly prohibited.
The formations at Goblin Valley are significantly different from what you will see at places like Bryce Canyon or Cedar Breaks. As a result most any photo you take the will stand out.
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