Goblin Valley State Park in Utah is an area covered with soft sandstone “goblins” and numerous other interesting formations. Truly a surreal place to visit, the odd natural shapes are a result of years of erosion. Walking amongst the goblin formations, we instantly felt like we were in a family friendly playground of sorts.

It truly looks like the surface of Mars via planet earth, you might say.

Because of the randomness of the formations and their stubby size, we felt like we were in a maze at times. There were no trails to follow and no right or wrong way to go while walking amongst the goblins.

Visitors to Goblin Valley State Park are free to carefully climb on the structures. Many of the folks who were there when we were chose to sunbath on top of the mushroom shaped formations. We saw others reading or eating lunch while sitting on them.

We chose to just walk around aimlessly to try to make sense of it all.

Occasionally, we lost our bearing among the odd natural shapes. When this happened, we’d walk to a clearing and visually find the parking lot. It was the best way to regain our sense of direction so we could continue through the maze.

Although we had an enjoyable time at the state park, we do not consider this park a “must-do” stop when visiting Utah. It is a very small park, and we felt the $20 entry fee was a bit excessive for what it had to offer.

On the positive side, Goblin Valley State Park is a short drive to Little Wild Horse Slot Canyon. The slot canyon and the state park can easily be visited on the same day.

Why not do both when you are there?