Goblin Valley State Park, Utah facts for kids
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The Goblin Valley State Park is a State park in the southern Utah.
Goblins
The valley, which is only about 1 mi (1.6 km) across and 2 mi (3.2 km) long, is full of thousands of mushroom-shaped pinnacles. These pinnacles are each a few meters high. Because of their height and shape, people referred to them as goblins. They are made of large orange-brown boulders of hard rock on top of weaker sandy layers. The sandy layers have eroded more quickly causing their shape. The "Goblins" are well hidden from the nearby road. The land to the east is flat and empty. It is near a long narrow ridge with eroded layers of grey and red-brown rocks. The far side of this empty land gives the best views of the landscape. The Goblins look as if they join with the cliffs. This gives giving the look of a strange skeletal structure with skull-like rocks and bony ridges.
The park
There are several trails passing through the park. These trails are not easy to notice and people can walk almost anywhere.
Wilderness
The land west of Goblin Valley State Park is part of the San Rafael Swell. It is similar to much of south Utah. The land is far away from most things and beautiful. It is crossed only by a few dirt tracks. 4WD vehicles are very useful here. There are many slot canyons in this area. Some of these, for example Little Wild Horse Canyon, may be explored easily.
