Extraordinarily Expressive Hoodoos – Goblin Valley State Park

Only by going alone in silence, without baggage,

can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness.

All other travel is mere dust and hotels and baggage and chatter.

John Muir

Sunrise – Goblin Valley State Park
Entrada sandstone (front, tan color, from Jurassic era tidal flats ≈170-myo)
Curtis formation (blueish, at back, from ancient marine reef ≈ 150-myo)

From rusty brown and tan to orange and bright pink depending on the light of day, Goblin Valley is a collection of whimsically shaped rocks, that look like elves, gnomes, urchins, rascals, imps, pranksters, ragamuffins, and much more. They are stunted, twisted, peculiar, disarming, and comical. Come watch them and try imagining their many pranks, especially in the darkening of the high desert twilight.

On the way to the campground, below massive Wild Horse Butte
800 feet above surrounding terrain. Quite a backdrop

What millions of years of erosion can create

Dawn and dusk hours are best for color and perspective, enhancing different facets of the rocks, changing their hues, highlights and texture, everything looking new and strange again. At times, there even seems to be a faint light glowing from within the sandstone.

Isn’t he/she impish looking?
Olaf from Frozen anyone?

Dubbed ‘Mystical Utah Gem’, the park was initially called Mushroom Valley. That title changed to Goblin Valley State Park in 1964. Many compare the bizarre formations to a Mars-like landscape, especially considering the reddish tones. 

Filled with thousands of scattered goblin-like hoodoos, this surreal and colorful valley is a fascinating playground for children of all ages, encouraging both, young and old, to scurry around in an attempt to find the weirdest or giddiest among them, feeling like kids in a gigantic sandbox.

They remind me of the China Terracotta Warriors
Lined up by the thousands, but much more playful, and not human-made

Everyone is welcome to wander through these many labyrinths of rock creatures, some as tall as 150 feet. The Valley is about two miles long and one mile wide. The further from the entrance of the valley you walk, the taller the hoodoos become while the lesser the crowd gets. Thousands of hoodoos are found here. The only other place with similar formations is Bryce Canyon, four hours away.

Two heads are better than one

The park continues to study the human caused erosion of these beautiful hoodoos. Naturally, they erode at a rate of about 2-4 feet per 100 years! 

The ones who lost their ‘heads’, now balls on the ground

Almost like ocean waves

Some a little more phallic

Layers upon layers of colors and textures

Sign at entrance of the Valley:  Let the goblins, balanced rocks, and towering spires flood your imagination.

You can rent a yurt while staying here
However, not in my price range

From higher up, ridge and great views

Can you possibly imagine what it would have been like to come upon this place for the first time, without knowing what you were going to find there.  Pure joy and amazement.

Goblin family, Carmel Canyon (left-front)
Molly’s Castle, San Rafael High Desert Plain (right-back)

The Three Sisters, near campground

Balanced rock, broken rock, gypsum

If you are a fan of the movie Galaxy Quest, 1999, you will immediately recognize the park, and will probably be looking for cute little purple cannibalistic space aliens and immense rock monsters. The movies 127 Hours, 2010, also has scenes from here as well as the Tree of Life, 2011.

Early morning, amphitheater like area
Echo is great here and in many other convoluted spaces

How can you not be paralyzed by the beauty of Mother Nature's mysteries?  I certainly was.  What an incredible place to spend a couple of days.

No idea what these balls are but I liked the overall design

To prove I was here. Good Morning world!