Goblin Valley State Park

Goblin Valley State Park's history spans ancient geology, Native American presence, and modern discovery, with its unique hoodoo formations shaped over millions of years from tidal flat sediments. First explored by cowboys (looking for stray cattle) and later named "Mushroom Valley" by Arthur Chaffin in the 1920s/30s, it was protected by the state in 1954 and officially became Goblin Valley State Park in 1964. These "other worldly" formations draw visitors from all over the globe and were featured in the movie Galaxy Quest.

This truly is a fascinating area! We spent two nights here... one outside the park (free BLM camping area with no facilities) and then one inside the park (with a really nice, private shower in the bathhouse!). We enjoyed hiking among the goblins and had fun deciding their shape (a dog, a cat... you get the idea).

This is, officially, a Dark Sky Park. If you go, PLEASE use red lights! There was a camping family that didn't do this... and it makes looking at the night sky rather difficult! This is a wonderful place to see stars and the Milky Way. Our first night was totally dark. It was amazing.

Enjoy!