Goblin Valley State Park is a magical place located in Southeastern Utah. It is only 15 minutes from Hanksville and about 1 hour from Capitol Reef National Park. Goblin Valley State Park is a geological wonderland, known for its reddish mushroom-shaped hoodoos (a.k.a goblins) and interesting rock formations. There are thousands of these mushroom-shaped rock clusters, spread throughout the park’s main area. There are plenty of things to do here. However, if you’re short on time, one day is quite sufficient. In this blog, we’ll go over everything you need to know, including our itinerary, so that you can maximize your day at Goblin Valley State Park.
Goblin Valley State Park is located in Emery County, Utah, off Highway 24. The nearest town to the park is Hanksville, Utah. It is also very close to North Wash, home of some really fun canyoneering routes such as Slideanide, Leprechaun, Hogwart, or Merry Piglet canyons. You can use your GPS to get directions there. We listed the physical address for the park below:
Address: 18630 Goblin Valley Road, Green River, UT 84525
There is a fee to enter Goblin Valley State Park. At the time of writing this blog, it is $20/private vehicle or $10/motorcycle, bicycle, or pedestrian. For more up-to-date information, please check the park’s website. This fee can be paid in person at the entrance gate or online. If you buy online, the pass is ONLY good for the day of purchase and the following day. The Annual Utah State Park pass is also accepted at Goblin Valley State Park.
Goblin Valley State Park is open daily from 6 am to 10 pm. The park is accessible year-round; however, the best time to visit is usually in spring (March – May) or fall (September – November), when the weather is mild, perfect for hiking and camping. In the summer, temperatures can reach over 100°F. There isn’t a lot of shade in the park, so it can get very toasty. If you want the place to yourself, winter (December – February) is a good time to come. The temperature is usually in the high 40s°F in the day, and dips below freezing at night. It might be too cold for camping; however, it is perfect for hiking and exploring the park. Just make sure to be prepared and dress warm in layers. Also, the days are shorter in the winter, so you won’t have as much time as you would have in spring or fall.
Goblin Valley State Park is one of the very few parks where you can fly a drone. However, you’ll need to obtain a permit and comply with all rules and regulations. Starting on March 15, 2025, the drone permit is $15/day. You can get this permit in person at the Visitor Center. It is not available in advance. However, drone permits may be issued up to 1 day in advance for early-morning flying. Drones can only be flown over Valley 1 and must be flown from the drone platform at the Observation Point. For more info on rules and regulations, check out the park’s website.
Goblin Valley State Park has a nice campground. It is well-maintained with clean bathrooms and a hot shower. However, the campsites here are very close together. So, if that bothers you, you can either find different lodging or camp dispersed. If you want to reserve your spot, you can click here. The campground also offers a yurt option. There are only 2 yurts there. It is $150/night. These yurts booked out really fast. So, if you have your heart set on the yurt, you need to book it way in advance.
Besides the campground, there are tons of options for dispersed camping around the area. We usually use either freecampsite or theDyrt to find a campsite.
The closest towns to Goblin Valley State Park are Hanksville, about 15 minutes away, and Torrey, about 1.5 hours away. There are hotels and Airbnbs in both towns, more so in Torrey than Hanksville. You can find whichever ones suit your budget.
Since Goblin Valley was on our way home from ice climbing in Ouray, we only had a day to spend here. Here’s our 1-day itinerary at Goblin Valley State Park. Since we were here at the beginning of February, the day was much shorter.
30 mins – 5 hours
Valley of the Goblins is the main attraction of Goblin Valley. This is where you’ll find all those mushroom-shaped hoodoos that the park is so famous for. There are 3 valleys in total, and you can spend as much or as little time here as you want. There are no trails in the valleys. You can just wander and explore. It makes for a really fun and unique experience. If you want to visit all 3 valleys, it is about 6-miles round trip and will take around 3-4 hours. We took around 3.5 hours for all 3 valleys.
1.5 – 2 hours
Goblin’s Lair is a really fun trail, between easy and moderate until you get to the entrance of the caves. Then, the trail becomes hard. There are 2 caves on this trail, Goblin’s Lair and Goblette’s Lair. It is a 3-mile round trip to Goblin’s Lair and an additional 0.5-mile round trip to Goblette’s Lair. We recommend visiting both. It is easier to get into Goblette’s Lair than Goblin’s Lair. You’ll need to use both hands and feet to scramble up and into Goblin’s Lair. But it was so much fun! On the way back, you can take a detour to the other side of the Carmel Canyon Loop. This is where you’ll hike through a short slot canyon with a bit of rock scrambling along the way. We were running out of sunlight at this point, so we went back the way we came.
If you’re up for a challenge, you can also rappel into Goblin’s Lair. You will need to get a permit and bring your own gear. If you don’t have your own gear or know what you’re doing, please hire a guide. Get in the Wild Adventures is an outfitter offering canyoneering tours to Goblin’s Lair.
30 mins
This is an easy, 1-mile hike to an interesting rock formation. You can see this from the drive through the park, so we don’t think it’s worth it. However, if you want a closer view or are looking for an easy hike to kill time, you can do this hike.
If you still have time after the other hikes, Goblin Valley State Park has a really cool FREE 18-hole disc golf course. It is next to the campground. You can bring your own discs or rent them at the Visitor Center for $1 each!
If you have the need for speed, there are around 9 miles of Mountain Biking Trails inside the park. The trails are a series of interconnected loops, so that you can customize the length and difficulty of your ride. These trails give you wide-open desert riding with huge panoramic views.
If you’re driving to or from Capitol Reef after Goblin Valley State Park, we recommend stopping by Moon Overlook. It is on the way, off of Highway 24. You’ll need an additional 40 minutes for driving since it is on a bumpy dirt road. You won’t need 4WDs, but we highly recommend bringing your high-clearance vehicle. This place is unreal. It is so beautiful. The best time to visit is sunrise or sunset, when the light is soft. This is when the colors “pop” the most! We actually got here to watch the sunrise before heading to Goblin Valley State Park to spend the day.
Besides Goblin Valley State Park, you’re also very close to Capitol Reef National Park. We love the Hickman Bridge hike. If you love hoodoos, Bryce Canyon National Park has so many of them, too. And if you love caves, check out Pinnacles National Park. The caves there are similar to Goblin’s Lair but much more extensive.
Happy Adventuring. Don’t forget to check out the related posts below for more inspiration on your upcoming adventures. While at it, follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel! We’ll love you forever!
These are the gear that we personally use and find helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
Our favorite biodegradable, eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen!
This is Vy's favorite hiking bag! It has tons of room for snacks and water!
It's always good to bring a GPS tracker with you. We use the Garmin inReach.
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
If you tend to have foot blisters on hikes, get this! We use this all the time.
These hiking poles are sturdy, and great to help keep your balance on short or longer hikes
Compact GoPro pole that extends to 25", perfect to bring on your adventure.
This is our go-to camera for all of our adventures. It comes with us everywhere!
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Hi! We are Dustin & Vy, the proud creators of Live That Adventure. We created this website because we wanted to inspire others to live their lives to the fullest. On here, you’ll find everything from hiking, canyoneering, kayaking, and snorkeling to adventure and travel tips, gear reviews, and bucket list items such as bungee jumping or wing walking. We’ll show you the ropes so you can do them too!
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