Goblin Valley State Park is a really cool geological formation located in front of the San Rafael Swell along Highway 24. It is easily accessed via a paved road that takes you to a parking area just above the hoodoos. While located in a very remote area, it is a fairly popular attraction. A $13 entrance fee is required to enter the park, and a developed campground that includes toilets and showers is available for an additional fee. If the campground is full, you can always park just outside Goblin Valley State Park on the surrounding BLM land and camp for free, as I have done a couple times.
I have always loved Goblin Valley. It is really cool to look at, and you can go down the valley floor and walk right among the numerous hoodoos. The valley is full of them. The hoodoos here are pretty unique, as they are shorter and lumpier than the typical hoodoos found in southern Utah.
The last time I visited in November, 2018, I took the 2.5 mile round-trip hike hike to Goblins Lair which I had only recently found out about. It is a cool little cave accessed from the north end of the main parking lot that is worth doing. However, I'll admit I was a little let down by it. I think it may be a little over-hyped on-line. After visiting the cave, I also decided to visit Valleys 2 and 3 of Goblin Valley, which I had never visited before. These valleys are a much less crowded than Valley 1, and have very comparable scenery. As Valley 1 continues to get more and more crowded, Valleys 2 and 3 can provide some solitude for those willing to walk a couple extra miles.
In September, 2023, we visited Goblin Valley on the way back from a backpacking trip through Spring Canyon in Capitol Reef. We didn't have reservations, so we tried the dispersed camping south of the main campground and were very impressed. The first spot we tried had several deep, narrow canyons cutting into the sandstone walls that were fun to explore. After a bit of hiking, we ended up camping a bit further south in another amazing campground. We were there the Sunday night of Labor Day Weekend, and had nearly all the dispersed camping sites to ourselves. I'm sure this area gets busy during spring and fall weekends, but if you're there at the right time, these free spots are even nicer than the official State Park sites, which are now going for $45 per night.
