Goblin Valley

Goblin Valley is a unique mushroom-like formation in Utah, 12 km from the small village of Hanksville. These figures, called hoodoos, were formed by erosion 170 million years ago and sometimes reach several tens of meters in height.

This area was discovered by Arthur Chaffin in the 1920s when he was looking for an additional route from Green River to Gainesville for cattle herding. First, they noticed 5 large stone figures, which revealed stunning views of the valley with hoods. Green could not forget these places, and in 1949 he came here again, but with a camera. He stayed here for a few days, after which he named this place goblin Valley and published the photos in the newspaper. These photos have attracted a lot of tourists to these parts, although this place is very far from the main roads. The growing number of tourists forced the authorities to protect these places by declaring them a state protected area.

There is almost no vegetation in goblin Valley, and what is there has adapted to the desert climate by reducing the size of the leaves, some even have a wax coating to reduce evaporation. Among the vegetation there are Mormon tea, thistles, many cacti and sometimes there are small pines.

Due to the low humidity, animals have to lead a nocturnal lifestyle, predators usually extract water from their prey. Among the animals found in Goblin Valley are rabbits, rats, foxes, coyotes, and lizards.