Goblin Valley State Park

East of Capitol Reef National Park, near the crossroads town of Hanksville, find an otherworldly landscape at Goblin Valley State Park. The park's name comes from sandstone hoodoos, or towers, that have eroded in a way that makes them look as if they have spooky goblin faces. It's a great place to bring kids — hikes are generally quite easy and lead into areas filled with goblins, rock spines, and balanced rocks. From the main overlook, head down into the Valley of the Goblins to explore. A few miles north of the park find the Temple Mountain bike trail and more hikes. The park's campground is also a good base for exploring the San Rafael ...

East of Capitol Reef National Park, near the crossroads town of Hanksville, find an otherworldly landscape at Goblin Valley State Park. The park's name comes from sandstone hoodoos, or towers, that have eroded in a way that makes them look as if they have spooky goblin faces. It's a great place to bring kids — hikes are generally quite easy and lead into areas filled with goblins, rock spines, and balanced rocks. From the main overlook, head down into the Valley of the Goblins to explore. A few miles north of the park find the Temple Mountain bike trail and more hikes. The park's campground is also a good base for exploring the San Rafael Swell, one of Utah's top mountain biking areas.

About the Expert

Judy Jewell and W.C. McRae are frequent collaborators: together they have written Moon Handbooks to Montana, Utah, and Zion-Bryce and updated the Moon Handbooks to Oregon and Coastal Oregon. Judy wrote the Compass American Guide to Oregon.