About Goblin Valley State Park
Goblin Valley looks crowded even when almost nobody is there. Thousands of sandstone hoodoos rise from the valley floor in bulbous columns, lopsided heads, knobs, towers, and squat shapes that resemble a population of frozen creatures.
The formations are made from Entrada sandstone deposited during the Jurassic Period and later shaped by erosion. Harder material protected portions of softer rock beneath it, leaving behind the top-heavy shapes now called goblins. The main concentration covers several square miles and allows visitors to wander among the formations rather than viewing them only from distant overlooks.
Utah State Parks openly embraces the otherworldly comparison, describing the landscape as Mars-like. The visual effect comes from repetition. One odd hoodoo might simply look geological. Hundreds extending across a basin begin to resemble an entire settlement designed by erosion.
Goblin Valley is protected as a state park, and the formations are fragile despite their heavy appearance. Visitors can explore among them but should not climb on or damage the rock. The goblins took millions of years to arrive at their current shapes and are considerably easier to destroy than they look.