In our short excursion into the Grand Wash we have seen some amazing examples of the honeycombed and rock varnish characteristic of this gorge. Wishing to see more of the Grand Wash we return to the Visitor Center to collect a walking map of the other end of the gorge. There is a trace of rain, then the sun appears occasionally when we reach the northern end of the Grand Wash.

This part of the Grand Wash contains a spectacular section known as The Narrows,  with more examples of honeycombed rock. At its narrowest point, the gorge is only about 15-feet wide.

Driving west on US-24, we stop to view some more petroglyphs that are accessible by a boardwalk, and then make a further stop at Twin Rocks (far right) before returning to the Best Western.

After freshening up and using the hotel's laundry facilities, we drive to the nearby town of Torrey to eat at an Italian restaurant attached to the Wonderland Inn. There is no spectacular sunset to observe this evening from the balcony of our room, but the reef is pleasingly illuminated by the sunshine from a sky containing pretty white clouds.

 

 

Leaving the Best Western this morning, we drive east through Capitol Reef National Park and follow the Fremont River to the small town of Hanksville, passing the cliffs of Luna Mesa (below) on the way. At Hanksville, we turn north to try and locate Goblin Valley State Park.

Continuing north on US-24 we drive through the barren terrain of the San Rafael Desert with just some amazingly-shaped (but dull coloured) buttes enlivening the vast scrubland. Eventually, we come to an anonymous junction in the middle of nowhere, although the map labels it Temple Junction - named after Temple Mountain, at 6,773-feet, the highest point along the San Rafael Reef. A lonely-looking road leads in a westerly direction towards the reef - we decide that this is the road we want.

After following this road for some miles, we stop at an information board, where we are passed by a small convoy of roughly-maintained cars whose occupants look even more roughly-maintained. We follow this convoy (at a safe distance) and are relieved to see it turn off along a dirt track towards Wild Horse Canyon and disappear in a cloud of dust. Near the junction with this dirt track we find Goblin Valley State Park.

An observation shelter-cum-picnic site near a car park overlooks a valley that is full of 'goblins' - thousands of Entrada sandstone pillars that have been grotesquely carved by the elements. It is easy to see why these hoodoos have been named locally as goblins - in the bright sunshine they present an amazing spectacle; one can only imagine what this scene would look like by moonlight. The formations of mushroom-shaped rock pinnacles, some as tall as several yards, would undoubtedly create a scary moonlit scene.

 

We wander amongst the formations, many of which are clustered in small groups, and each is different in some way. But they all have a common appearance that befits the 'goblin' epithet, and all contribute to an awe-inspiring landscape.

 

Goblin Valley was prominently featured in the movie Galaxy Quest (1999) as an alien planet. The eroded sandstone dunes in the valley inspired the design of the fictional planet’s rock monsters.