May 17, 2015 Comments 1 Michael Jolley 257 Views 5

Goblin Valley State Park (review)

(This review was written in fall 2012)

I had been wanting to go back to Goblin Valley ever since I went there for a campout with my dad, brothers, and uncles back in 1995 when I was only 11. The place was magical, with so many things to explore.

My wife and I finally decided to go after I saw online that the park now has yurts you can rent for $60/night. I thought was a pretty sweet deal for a place that’s almost as cool as Disneyland.

So we reserved a yurt for two nights, waited in anticipation, and then headed down there the morning of Friday, September 28. It’s a 3 and 1/2 hour from our home in Lindon, Utah.

We really liked our yurt. It was plenty big for our family of four. It had a queen-size futon that was thick enough to be comfortable. It also had a bunk-bed with a full on the bottom and a twin on the top. There was also a nice little kitchen table with four chairs. And, of course there was electricity. We brought our little microwave to make cooking easy.

Anyway, we give the yurt 2 thumbs up. It wasn’t perfect (we never got the heater working) but it was nice.

Enough about the yurt. The best part is exploring the “Valley of the Goblins” and other parts of the park. The valley of the goblins is super kid-friendly. There are no cliffs or dropoffs for them to fall of so they’re free to explore. Asher (who was two months shy of turning three) absolutely loved it.

There is a LOT of stuff to explore in the park. We were there for two nights and that wasn’t enough time to see all the cool stuff.We highly recommend Goblin Valley for families. Kids love it. Parents love it. Even if you don’t have children, it’s a beautiful place to visit and you’ll love it. (See more of our photos on Flickr)

PARK INFO

Cabins/Yurts – Yes, yurts. ($60/night) There are only two of them so plan ahead.
Tent sites – Yes. ($16/night) There is also a group site for large groups.
Trailer hookups – No.
Showers – Yes. They’re not the nicest in the world but they’re fine. Typical campground showers. The water was hot, which is nice.
Visitor center – Yes. The visitor center also has some food and supplies. And ice, which was a lifesaver for us.
Cell phone reception – No.
Wifi – No.
Close to civilization – No. It’s in the middle of nowhere.For more park information go to stateparks.utah.gov/parks/goblin-valley.

Tags Travel Utah State Parks

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Michael Jolley 29 posts

Michael has been active in Utah politics since 2009 and admits he still has a lot to learn. He lives in Provo with his wife Jessica and their two small children. Follow Michael on Twitter: @UTJolley