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Goblin Valley State Park, Green River, UT

Photo: CGP Grey, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorOutdoor AdventureFamily FavoriteQuirky Fun

Goblin Valley State Park

About 12 miles north of Hanksville, Emery County · Green River, UT

Why you should go…

Goblin Valley is a state park filled with thousands of hoodoos, eroded Entrada sandstone formations about 170 million years old that locals call goblins. You can hike and scramble among them, then stay in the campground, its yurts or primitive sites. The landscape stood in for an alien planet in Galaxy Quest, and the park is a designated International Dark Sky Park, so nights bring a deep starry sky.

  • #state park
  • #hoodoos
  • #hiking
  • #dark sky park
  • #camping

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Goblin Valley State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Dead Horse Point State Park

    Under $25

    Look down on a bend of the Colorado River and the canyons of Canyonlands from a high desert mesa.

    53 mi awayMore like this

  • Tours
    Outdoor Adventure

    Redtail Air Adventures

    $50+

    Scenic airplane tours over Arches, Canyonlands and Monument Valley from Moab's regional airport.

    54 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Tours
    Outdoor Adventure

    Skydive Moab

    $50+

    Tandem skydiving from 14,000 feet with views of Arches, Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point.

    54 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Iconic

    Arches National Park

    $25–$50

    Drive the park road past balanced rocks and sandstone fins, then hike to some of the more than 2,000 natural stone arches.

    59 mi awayMore like this