The park features thousands of hoodoos, referred to locally as goblins, which are formations of mushroom-shaped rock pinnacles, some as tall as several yards.
Traveling from Hanksville to Moab. Right after we start goint north, there’s another State Park we can’t miss!The scenic drive to the park already gives away the most beautiful views.The Three Sisters is the most iconic of all goblin formations within the park and is found on many of the souvenir items available in the visitor center.Walking the park. Beyond the drive, there are jut a few trails, all too long for us, so we walk the valley on our own terms.Every corner bring new goblins of all sizes.The unusual stone shapes in Goblin Valley result from the weathering of Entrada sandstone. The Entrada consists of debris eroded from former highlands and redeposited on a former tidal flat of alternating layers of sandstone, siltstone, and shale. The rocks show evidence of being near the margins of an ancient sea with the ebb and flow of tides, tidal channels that directed currents back to the sea and coastal sand dunes.Joint or fracture patterns within the Entrada sandstone beds created initial zones of weakness. The unweathered joints intersected to form sharp edges and corners with greater surface-area-to-volume ratios than the faces. As a result, the edges and corners weathered more quickly, producing the spherical-shaped ‘goblins’.Lost?Landscapes like you would imagine they exist on Mars.A valley with erratic stone boulders ends suddenly and reveals a spectacular drop into a canyon.This could be a day-filling activity.But a closer look to the ground reveals we’re not alone.This is the footprint of a coyote. Primarily carnivorous, its diet consists mainly of deer, rabbits, hares, rodents, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates, though it may also eat fruits and vegetables on occasion. Thinking it’s time to get back to that car lol!
