Utah is full of natural treasures and one of the funnest places to visit is Goblin Valley State Park. It sits in between Capitol Reef National Park and Canyonlands National Park. There are a few designated hiking and mountain biking trails, but most of the park is open to explore.
Unlike most parks that tell you to stay on the trail and don't climb on anything for fear of damaging them, you are free to roam and climb anywhere you like here. Everything is made of compacted clay and stone and is constantly changing due to wind an water erosion. There is virtually no vegetation to prevent this, so it will look a little different every time you visit. The wind and rain carve out mushroom like formations that look a little like goblins, hence the name.
The weather was perfect in the high 60's with a slight breeze, but it can get brutally hot during the summer with very little shade. Make sure to bring plenty of water and sunscreen. We spent a couple of hours hiking around, but only ended up walking about a mile since we spent so much time climbing and exploring. It really is like a giant playground.
As we were leaving, we decided to visit some pictographs that we had heard were nearby. As you leave the park, instead of turning right on Temple Mountain Road, take a left. There is a cliff face on the north side of the road a couple hundred feet past the first campground with these ancient works of art on them. You can see them from the road, but you should definitely get out to see them up close. The cliff has crumbled away, so getting up to them is rather perilous. As you can see in the pictures, some of the drawing have fallen off and others were shot full of holes. We also found cans and litter around there. Please make sure to take care of these treasures so everyone can enjoy them for years to come.
The road in to the area is on open range land. Be careful as there can be herds of cattle crossing the highway. We got to see some real cowboys at work, driving a herd from one area to another. This was our first time there, but we plan on coming back every year to do some camping and exploring in the area.
Activity rating 0-10
Kid fun: 10
Difficulty: 4
Cost: $13/vehicle
Kid fun: 10
Difficulty: 4
Cost: $13/vehicle
