Our niece's husband suggested that we visit Goblin Valley State Park in Utah. We opted to stay in Green River at the Green River KOA, about an hour away. We had thought that we'd slip in a visit to the Moab area, which was about an hour away in the other direction, as well. We never made it to the Moab area. There was just too much to see.
The San Rafael Swell is just west of Green River and rises spectacularly from the ground. Locally, the area is known as The Swell and is a destination for off-roaders, hikers, and dark sky viewers.
Our first day in Green River had us taking a loop trip to backtrack to Helper, Utah, for a photo with a Big John, a Muffler Man. We opted for the scenic drive along the Buckhorn Draw that took us to the The Wedge. The Wedge Overlook is called the Little Grand Canyon. The light snow just added to the beauty. Along the way we stopped to look at a dinosaur track, an old suspension bridge, and some petroglyphs.
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Can you spot the semitruck?
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| Dinosaur track |
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The Wedge Overlook area
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Harold and Big John
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The next day we headed to Little Wild Horse Canyon. The idea was to take a quick hike to see the slotted canyon and then head next door to Goblin Valley. Ha! Little Wild Horse Canyon was amazing. No wonder it's one of the most popular day hikes in the state. We lost count of how many times we said, "Wow!" The slick rocks, the serpentine path through them, were novel to us and a great introduction to canyoneering. We soon opted to take the eight mile loop trail that would circle us through Bell Canyon before returning to the trailhead. Goblin Valley would have to wait another day.
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Little Wild Horse Canyon
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Deep and narrow
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| Lots of rain paths |
Finally, we made it to Goblin Valley State Park. Wow! No wonder Jerry suggested we visit. The valley was filled with reddish-orange mushroom-shaped rock formations with little vegetation. We were a bit surprised, pleasantly so, that you were allowed to walk among them, that they weren't cordoned off.
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Goblin Valley from a distance
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Hoodoos or goblins?
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We say mushrooms!
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An inkling of the size of the formations
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Trivia Question: What science fiction movie starring Tim Allen featured scenes from Goblin Valley State Park?
We wished we could have explored the area more and will likely include more time when we visit family in the future.
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| Love the neon |
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Green River is famous for melons
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Lovely pictures. Wish I could have followed in your footsteps.
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