Playground in The Desert - Goblin Valley State Park, Utah

Not everything amazing has to be in a national park. This is definitely the case with Goblin Valley, a desert playground well preserved in a state park, located in southern Utah.

Dad and I decided to make a stop here on our way to Capitol Reef, which we would be seeing the next day.

We were treated with panoramas showcasing all sorts of unique rock formations, more unique than those seen in the canyons.

Some of the odd rock formations in the park.

Here is a place that you can truly go out, bring the kids and have some fun exploring the rocks shaped like goblins. Now that I think of it, I guess that's why this place got its name.. the rocks do look like goblins.

Most national parks that I have been to forbid any disrupting of the land, but here you may explore the area freely and go wild. In a sense, you actually become a child again.

And for those who truly love this place, there are campgrounds in which you can camp, surrounded by beautifully colored rocks.

Closeup of the "goblins" inside the park.

Campground in Goblin Valley.

The park is quite accessible. From Interstate 70, turn off the road onto Highway 24. The park will be the next turn off you make.

Goblin Valley does require a $7 day use fee, paid at an entrance gate. Camping is $16.

It is situated about 50 miles from Capitol Reef National Park. The nearest towns, Green River and Hanksville, are a tad closer.