Goblin Valley State Park3,654 acres of Entrada hoodoos in central Utah — wander the goblin fields freely, IDA Gold-tier dark skies, and the Wild Horse slot canyon next door

Goblin Valley sits in a remote basin between the Henry Mountains and the San Rafael Reef on UT-24, halfway between Hanksville and I-70. The 3,654-acre park became a Utah state park in 1964 after Arthur Chaffin photographed the formations in 1949 and the state legislature recognized them as a one-of-a-kind landscape. The 'goblins' are eroded mushroom-like hoodoos of orange Entrada Sandstone capped by harder Curtis Formation siltstone — a rare combination that has produced thousands of stout, knee-to-house-sized rock figures across three connected valleys.

Three hoodoo fields fan out below the entrance overlook. The first valley is the family-friendly stretch — flat sand floor, hoodoos 10 to 25 feet tall, no marked trail and no rules beyond Leave No Trace. The second valley is bigger and emptier; the third runs into Carmel Canyon and the start of the 1.7-mile hike to Goblin's Lair, a 70-foot-deep alcove cathedral that advanced visitors can rappel into with a $2 permit and their own gear. Just outside the park boundary on BLM land, the Little Wild Horse and Bell Canyon loop is one of Utah's most accessible non-technical slot canyons — an 8-mile day hike with a 200-foot section where you turn sideways to slip through.

Plan a half-day for the goblin fields, a full day if you add Wild Horse Canyon or Goblin's Lair. The park is 215 miles south of Salt Lake City and 50 miles east of Capitol Reef — the nearest gas is in Hanksville, 25 miles south. Spring (March–May) and fall (October–November) are the prime windows; summer mid-day hits 100°F with no shade in the basin, so visit at sunrise or sunset and stay for the stars. Goblin Valley earned IDA Gold-tier Dark Sky Park status in 2016 with an 8.45 SQM zenith reading — the Milky Way is visible nine months of the year and the visitor center runs free monthly ranger astronomy programs.