Goblin Valley State Park, Green River, Utah

This is one of my favorite campgrounds, just for the scenery alone. When driving to this campground located about 40 miles south of Interstate 70, you will realize you are headed to the boondocks. Along the way, you will begin to see the landscape change and notice to the west the San Rafael swell, a huge uplift of rock that provides its own plethora of activities. As you come closer to the swell, you will pass a popular BLM campground, a great stay-over if the state park is full. Additionally, you will pass the gravel road that leads to Wild Horse Canyon which is a spectacular hike through slot canyons created by the uplift.
   Once you reach the state park entrance, you will spot
the hoodoos that provide a stunning backdrop to the campground. Sites here all have spectacular views of the hoodoos, and a few lucky tent and yurt sites are hidden within the hoodoos. We stayed here three nights and enjoyed every minute of it. With paved interior roads and pads, dust was to a minimum. Upon check in, we noticed a dedicated state park employee power washing the picnic table, concrete pad, fire pit, and ramada next to ours. Over our stay, this was repeated each time a camper checked out. This state park is well maintained and employees take great pride in its appearance and camper's satisfaction. An impressive disc golf course that spans throughout the park. A small, but well appointed visitor's center offers snacks, souvenirs, and very helpful rangers who will guide you as to road, hiking, and biking opportunities and conditions in the park and region.
  As soon as we backed into our site nestled up against the hoodoos, we hopped out to explore camp. There is plenty of exploring and climbing for all ages right at camp. Each evening we saw hikers with flashlights hiking across the crest of the hoodoos. We opted to take that trek during the day and were impressed with the ability to navigate the somewhat narrow, undulating peaks at night. Our stay was during a full moon, which was amazing in that we were able to view spectacular moon-rises and even saw legitimate moon shadow. However, with this park designated as an International Dark Sky Park, we will be back to view the Milky Way some other time. Hiking and biking trails are prevalent here. One hiking trail takes you from camp through a maze of red mounds that reminded us of hiking in Badlands or Death Valley National Parks. The trail spits you out right at the parking lot of the infamous goblins. These three valleys of  mushroom like formations are fascinating. Hikers and visitors of all ages will enjoy scrambling all over and through the goblins. Photography here is amazing and even though the parking lot was bustling, visitors seem to get lost and disappear in the valleys of goblins with its vast expanse. Winter and summer here offer extreme temperatures, and with no hookups in camp, are the least desirable times to visit. Spring and fall offer warm daytime temperatures and cool, crisp nights. In addition to campsites, a group campsite and two yurts are available to reserve.  Reservations are a must, so plan accordingly.

Best Sites: 10-15, 17-19 (site 12 is the absolute best site), yurt 1 & 2, group site
Poor Sites: 22-24
Hookups: None
Potable Water: Yes
Dump Within Facility: Yes