Exploring the Scenic Geology of Goblin Valley State Park in southern Utah

Geology professor Shawn Willsey takes you on a geologic tour of the spectacular fairyland landscape of Goblin Valley State Park, Utah. Learn how the Jurassic sedimentary rocks were weathered to form hoodoos, toadstools, pinnacles, and otherworldly shapes.
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Shawn Willsey
College of Southern Idaho
315 Falls Avenue
Twin Falls, ID 83303
Approximate GPS Location: 38.5571,- 110.6990

[@shawnwillsey]

You can support my field videos by clicking on the "Thanks" button just above (right of Like button) or by going here: www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=EWUSLG3GBS5W8

[@InterWebGuy99]

As one of those who will never get to visit these unique areas, I want to thank you so very much for making these videos and doing so with such a gift for capturing these fascinating places up close and personal. Looking forward to your next.

[@shawnwillsey]

Thanks for watching and learning with me. I think you'll like another video I'll roll out soon where I take you into a narrow, technical slot canyon. Stay tuned.

[@reidellis1988]

Between 1982 and 1984. My scout troop went there a few times. Way before most people knew where Utah was. 😂✌

[@valoriel4464]

Yay! Another geology adventure. ✌ Thx kind Sir.

[@MP-zl5ct]

No slot canyons... but an awesome 100ish foot rappel down into "The Goblins Lair" which is a cave that is under all of those "goblins" love the area we visit as often as we can!

[@ambrosiasax6879]

I was thinking in my head this would be an easy place to get lost at the exact moment you said it!

[@drmichaelshea]

Although I grew up in Utah, Goblin Valley is one place I have not visited. I didn’t not realize it was part of the Entrada formation which I have known about because of visits to Canyonlands and Arches. I was born in Salt Lake City but lived through my infancy in La Sal. Images of those places are part of my soul.

[@marlenemitchelson6405]

Thanks Professor. I am in total awe and find the shapes of these pillars unbelievable. Love your informative videos as you are always introducing us to various formations in the different environments.

[@mmk5638]

Thanks for all the virtual field trips 👍🏼👍🏼

[@shawnwillsey]

You bet!

[@patrickkillilea5225]

Dang. What a great view. The layering is amazing to see.

[@twalatka]

My 10 yr old niece loved this State Park.

[@toughenupfluffy7294]

I was there once in late 2007 when a massive rainstorm hit, thunder and lightning zapping all around. It was raining to beat the band when I happened to look up into the clouds just as something green exploded about 100 feet up, up in the low cloud cover. It was so loud it compressed my chest and left my ears ringing. I had three dogs with me, who were all frolicking around in the rain until that happened. They all came running back to me like I could protect them or something, lol. The only thing I can figure is it was a rare form of exploding ball lightning-that, or a meteoric bolide that blew up just before hitting the ground. It was incredible. I've never seen anything like it before or since.

[@marcialoofboro306]

Thanks for the trip for taking us to Goblin Valley!

[@valsummers5330]

Wow what a magical landscape I’m guessing that it is a very spiritual place for the Navaho and other tribes at the four corners

[@Raptorman0909]

Been there a couple times, such an interesting place. The other worldly formations featured in the late 90's movie Galaxy Quest...

[@robertadolly4521]

I don't know if you've ever been, but Bisti Wilderness in NM has hoodoos too. They're beautiful. I've been to Goblin Valley, but we went to the San Rafael Swell in UT. Amazing geology, history, fossils and petroglyphs in the San Rafael.

[@artemusdee]

UTAH ROCKS ! Thanks for the info...from Hurricane UT, The Triple Junction. As the road signs frequently say, WATCH OUT FOR ROCKS. The understatment of the day...in Ute Awe ! Amazing.....

[@lmgaab]

Many thanks for your great presentation in the real world of geology. Larry and Shirley.

[@rudygarcia3451]

I'll be working there all summer and this was a treat to learn about the geology and see it

[@JanetClancey]

It’s a geology wonderland thank you

[@Anne5440_]

Wow, such an interesting place. Near the beginning of the first clip, there was a goblin that made me think of a duck. During your wandering in the last of the video, I remembered what my dad would have suddenly asked me. He would have said, "Where are we, and where is camp?" From 13 to 15, he was teaching me how different the mts in the West were from hiking around the Blue Ridge mts of the East. He was a true woodsman and was preparing me to survive in western wilderness. Eventually, he would give me those questions and then test me by having me lead him back to camp by bushwacking the shortest route. I have been glad many times in life that he taught me to be aware of the surroundings. I am learning from your videos just how very interesting sandstone formations can be. Thank you.

[@rossmeldrum3346]

I saw the same thing at 0:13. A duck formation.

[@Rachel.4644]

Tintic quartzite 👌🏼 so fascinating and attractive. 500 ma, continental north american shore. Wow. A real pleasure to hear about and see. I'm grateful that you love to teach!

[@Fryed_Bryce]

The little toadstools are cute

[@papajon62]

Great little park with very few folks. My family and I were here in July 2018. Unfortunately it was early afternoon when we arrived and the temps were near 100 degrees that day. Walking between the hoodoos, they acted like radiators with the heat and we could only stay about an hour or so. Just too hot! I look forward to coming back on a cooler day…

[@forwimp]

My parents took me to Goblin Valley around 1970. I was amazed at how many goblins there were. Running through them was magical for a kid. 10 or 15 years later there was a news story about big flood that went through there that took out a bunch of goblins. When I went back, it sure seemed like the goblins were more sparse down in wash. When I went there for an overnight camp with my son's scout troop the boys had the time of their lives playing capture the flag down in the valley. In the early morning hours, a pack of miniature coyotes wandered through the campground to clean up any food left out. I guess they don't grow so big in that barren ecosystem. We were there the week between Christmas and New Years. My favorite part of that camp was the solar heated hot water shower in the campground. This was an excellent production. I enjoyed it and learned something.

[@toughenupfluffy7294]

The biggest coyote I've ever seen was spotted due east of Goblin Valley in the Burr Desert on the way to Horseshoe Canyon. It was about the size of a German Shepherd.

[@MrBumbles2]

was there in the late 70's , awesome stuff

[@michalejones77]

One of my kid's favorite locations from a beautiful area. Up close and personal experience! Amazing video!

[@abbyh8678]

WOW, I live in NH USA....and probably won't get out there, thank you...I do a lot of prospecting in NH and Maine....MAN we don't have those features, amazing....thx for this

[@runninonempty820]

Another really cool place that I had no idea existed. Thanks Shawn!

[@treborupp]

Thanks for sharing.

[@MrDan708]

I saw that place in late September, and there is nothing comparable here on the East Coast that I've ever seen. Amazing formations.

[@susierider55]

What a marvel!

[@lisadyck9503]

Thanks, Shawn.

[@MountainFisher]

Took my family there and listened to my wife yelling at the boys, "Don't climb up so high!" They picked up some of those agates as well, thought they were cool looking. My daughter was more curious about how it formed. As you said, a really neat place to visit.

[@farmboypresents9977]

Utah is amazing. Around every corner is a another improbable sight. Thanks for helping explain our world.

[@IndridCool54]

Very cool!

[@michaelsanfilippo7433]

Thank you again, Shawn. I was there just about a year ago. Always great to have a clearer understanding of what we are seeing. Photography is my hobby. I got some great images from there and at the San Rafael Swell. Too bad I can't share them in this comment.

[@stanherman5604]

awesome place to visit! Wife and i really enjoyed wandering around among the goblins. would like to take my grandchildren there for a couple days.

[@Hank520Tube]

Thanks for the tour of one of the man, many interesting places in Utah.

[@StirlingLighthouse]

What a crazy change in terrain. Those formations are mind blowing. I can’t help but see them as man made. Lol Thanks so much for your knowledge! ❤

[@davidk7324]

Every kid should have a chance to camp in Goblin Valley for a couple of nights.

[@shawnwillsey]

Agreed! Perfect for hide and seek.

[@Rachel.4644]

Wondrous and magical: yes! To know more about how and why is so much more fun. I've camped in the San Rafael Swell and visited Goblin Valley, and want to go again, especially to hike around the hoodoos. Love this Shawn, thank you.

[@nicknichols3810]

Fascinating video, Shawn. Great photography and love hearing the details on how it formed. I've heard of Goblin Valley but never been there. Sounds like paradise to this geology nerd. Definitely adding that to the bucket list.

[@Backroad_Junkie]

Take a couple of weeks. I could outline you a bizarrely fantastic itinerary. Within a couple hundred mile radius of Goblin Valley is: Utah-128 Moab, UT Arches NP Canyonlands NP Dead Horse Point SP Goblin Valley SP Capitol Reef NP Utah-12 (one of the best drives in the US, imho) Escalante/Grand Staircase NM Kodachrome Basin SP Bryce Canyon NP Cedar Breaks NM Zion NP Outside of that radius is Monument Valley, Glen Canyon, Natural Bridges, Rainbow Bridge, and a dozen ancient human sites... Southern Utah is just an amazing place.

[@hunt4redoctober628]

Mind blown! As a lapsed sedimentologist (from 35 years ago after a career change) this is really fascinating stuff. You guys are so lucky to have such stunning Geology in the US. Its a little less dramatic in the UK.😂 One question, did you see any palaeontological evidence of possible dinosaur remains (footprints, fragments etc) in Goblin Valley? Seems the sort of place you would get them. Keep up the great work. It's helping me reconnect with the subject after such a long time.

[@shawnwillsey]

The Entrada Formation is largely bereft of fossils. Here at Goblin Valley in south central Utah, it was deposited in a tidal flat/sabkha environment. Eastward, toward Moab and Arches it was a dune environment.

[@Vlaaaaaaaarp]

Shawn, love your channel; it has completely reinvigorated my love of geology. So much so that I recently went on a trIp to southern Utah specifically to explore neat landscapes and rock hound. One of the wilder places I crawled around was Topaz Mountain-words simply don’t do it justice, and I’d be stoked to hear your take on the geology there. If you go, I recommend the east side of the bowl, it’s a little more pristine. Thanks for the great vids!

[@shawnwillsey]

Hi Chris and thanks for your kind words. I love that you and others enjoy the videos I throw together. Yes, I went to Topaz Mountain many years ago on a college field trip. The Utah West Desert is on my list for this spring/summer.

[@TerryBollinger]

Thank you for this absolutely amazing video! I was thinking how to make some of the images intp background for my computer. I did not even know of the existence of this place... but then, I live in Virginia!

[@Josh-Hunt]

Love this!

[@grandparocky]

Cool area thanks for sharing! Love your work!

[@Spudda]

Funny to see this, I was just there less than two weeks ago. Nice to have more context about the formations. Great video as always, thanks for making these!

[@gregrussell7704]

Very interesting video Shawn. Fascinating how the rock layers form during each time period. I'm learning a lot from your books and videos.

[@shawnwillsey]

Thanks for watching and learning with me.

[@Jonathan_and_Tammie]

Hey! We have been there! Kinda steep entrance fee and not many facilities but Definitely worth a stop if you are driving past. Thanks for another great video!

[@rogerdudra178]

Neat place. The erosion is interesting.

[@robertdavenport6705]

From above, a couple of the views of the hoodoo/goblin formations in their ranks , form and colour are remindful of the Chinese un-earthed terracotta army.And equally as telling of the mechanics of their making. A delightfully animated landscape. Thanks again for your time and effort.

[@scifiron]

Thanks!

[@shawnwillsey]

Thanks for your kind donation in support of my videos. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@johncallahan2256]

Excellent. Thank you.

[@mikedarr6968]

I love Utah

[@dudeonbike800]

Another wonderful video! Thank you. LOVE the discussion of the Entrada sandstone and mudstone, especially when compared to what's found in Arches. Thank you! Moab's famous Slickrock Trail is composed of Navajo Sandstone. Often referred to as "petrified sand dunes," this stuff is perfect for cycling and motoring on. So much fun! Was thrilled to finally visit Goblin Valley in 2016. Drove down off I70 to visit for the day, as the park is usually booked well in advance. We pull up in the afternoon and ask, "Do you by chance have any cancellations?" They sure did, so we got to stay two nights before making our way to Moab. It was so much fun for the kids to venture through. Endless amazing formations to hike around and climb. So much to explore there and the entire San Rafael Swell. Gotta get back there! PS There's a great single track loop up above the campground that was other-worldly. My son even found an amazing geode by pure luck while we were riding.

[@enchiladasmith014]

One of my favorite places in the world. I’ve spent collectively about 40 days of exploration there. Probably more than that but I could spend years wandering this amazing spot

[@2flight]

pretty, pretty spot. thanks for the tour!

[@stevebrooks1355]

My Dog and I stayed north just out of park and ohv'd NW on edge of GV Park. Very interesting Some looked very 'hand carved' There were other interesting geological marvels winding to the NW on trails -- giant pyramid type rock formation

[@KT_571]

Yes! Thank you for these fabulous and educational videos! You help make my hikes even more awesome, because I have knowledge of the geological formations that surround me.

[@leslie3832]

Wow! Loved this video and your explanations.

[@BC_Cutler]

One thing that has always confused me about formations like this is how you can end up with layers of soft crumbly mudstone interbedded with much harder sandstones. What is it about the lithification process that allows for such a dramatic variance in hardness? Why, for example, didn't the muddy sediments get compacted into a harder shale? Is lithification a function of pressure (depositional depth), time, chemistry, a combination of all three, or something else entirely? Great video, btw....I fell in love with Goblin Valley as a young kid but didn't have the chance to go back until I brought my own kids there 30 years later. This is one of the few places I was able to take my son hiking where he didn't complain the whole time. 😂 Exploring among the goblins with my kids is one of my fondest memories. 🥲

[@shawnwillsey]

Fluctuations in energy of the depositional environments dictate whether mud or sand is deposited. The sand deposits here are likely windblown sand into the sabkha environment while the mud was deposited in a tidal flat. Shale will form when mud is deposited in regular thin depositional beds but if the deposition is more massive, then mudstone will result.

[@rogerdudra178]

Greetings from the BIG SKY. Haven't been there yet.

[@thegallivanthropologists]

Really great teaching on the platform. We have been trying to find this skillset for Archaeology and culinary anthropology. Subed to learn more from you and your channel. We just put out our video from Zion National Park. It was an amazing experience in beautiful nature. Keep up the great content and adventures. We hope to see more and meet you on the road someday. - Bear

[@shawnwillsey]

Thanks and welcome aboard. I hope you enjoy watching and learning with me. My videos are pretty bare bones, unscripted and with little editing. You won't find fancy bells and whistles here. What you will find is a real passion for teaching the Earth's amazing stories and landscapes. Good luck with your channel.

[@jayster.k.wiseguy]

awesome~

[@alicemiller3139]

Very interesting. As I watched, I wondered if Bison once roamed through the formations. I know they do in the Badlands in SD, but no longer by the millions.

[@jackprier7727]

The American bison lived generally in the area that is underlain by the Ogallala Aquifer, much more to the E and having runnergrass evolved to being eaten. There were one or two old bones found in NV and UT ("greener" N areas) of these bison, but they wandered in, didn't stay-

[@abbyh8678]

It looks like the spot from the movie Galaxy Quest, where the Minors NOT MINERS were🤣✌️ great program, again thx from NH

[@Chris-ut6eq]

I died in episode 81!

[@AndrewGrey22]

I'm from Michigan. That geology is crazy.

[@mmk5638]

Awesome video! Glad Gorignak didn’t get you! 😉

[@lexzbuddy]

The bronze age collapse is one of, if not the most interesting events, in human history.

[@gabrielford3473]

I used to live their part time!!

[@Danika_Nadzan]

Another stunning landscape I'd never get to see without your video! I agree that this is a magical place, made more so by your excellent descriptions and explanations. The variety of formations and shapes is mesmerizing! Clearly seeing the layers across the hoodoos, toadstools, and peaks that were there before weathering really helped to visually explain how those shapes were formed. At 10:00, where the wet mud had dripped down and basically draped the cliff was also very cool. Thanks again, Shawn for the effort you put into these videos...they are always enjoyable, easy to understand, and packed with amazing information! Off to Paypal to say thanks!👍🏻

[@ericswain4177]

One of the film locations in the movie Galaxy Quest. Seen similar Scattered formations in Northern Montana but Grayish in color.

[@stanfullerton8485]

11:22 in video (right side of frame) looks like one of the giant rock carvings in Easter Islands Kon Tiki; (nature version). See his eyes & chin??

[@3xHermes]

Cool

[@BretBerger]

By Grabthar's hammer, by the suns of Worvan, you shall be avenged. That was cool when you touched the top of the goblin and the radial exfoliation sluffed off.

[@2Goiz_1ShanDA]

Those side pockets see run off n such i suppose? It looks like it would be a deadly situation if you happen to be trapped in a flash flood. That place is gnarly bro it's so cool!

[@mawi1172]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@Backroad_Junkie]

Cool video. Goblin Valley was amazing! (Utah has some of the best state parks.) Did you visit Kodachrome Basin? (And it's almost NSFW rock formations, lol...) Am also hoping to find video of yours on the San Rafael Swell. Fascinating place. I-70 goes through it. No services for over 100 miles. (At least the last time I was there...) And non-geologic trivia. Goblin Valley is supposedly one of the least light polluted places in the US. Supposed to be a great place for star gazing. Unless you're there during a full moon, like I was... Galaxy Quest was filmed there. It's where they get the Beryllium Sphere. Last time I was there, they had a Beryllium Sphere in the visitors center, lol. The money the park got for Galaxy Quest, was used to pave the road from US-24 to the park, so you can thank the movie for not having to drive a gravel road. I won $50 from Car and Driver for a "straightest road" contest over 20 years ago. It was a picture of US-24, right outside the park. where the road is arrow straight for like, 20 miles...

[@pukulu]

That Jurassic sandstone formed before the Western Interior seeway formed. Maybe Utah, or at least Western Utah, was west of where the Western Interior seeway existed. The geological history of Laramidia is interesting all by itself. I guess that portions of modern day Utah and Nevada were once part of Laramidia.

[@HandleThisSelection2]

This landscape reminds me of that Ozzy Osbourne song, Crazy Terrain.

[@Laserblade]

Thank you sir! Professor, when you pan the camera for our benefit, if you slow down it would look much more professional from a 'filming' perspective, and also give us a better chance to live vicariously through you. Now I am off to research the Curtis and Entrada formations!

[@shawnwillsey]

Noted!

[@markvincent522]

Would these be the same units that make up the Fisher Towers? They look kind of like mini-Fisher Towers, and I really dig that.

[@shawnwillsey]

No, rocks at Fisher Towers are older (Permian age, about 260 million years old) and are composed of conglomerate, sandstone, and mudstone shed off of Ancestral Rockies. Goblin Valley's rocks are Jurassic (about 150 million years old). Here's a short video I did at Fisher Towers a few years ago: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kH-7Yqp-g52qhqc

[@markvincent522]

@@shawnwillsey I'll check that out! Thanks a bunch, Professor Willsey!

[@joshwadley6521]

I remember a really green grey hill in the middle of the valley, it wasn't high enough to be the formation above the Entrada? Do you know if it's just some other mineral deposit?

[@shawnwillsey]

It probably was the unit above the Entrada (Curtis Formation) that had slumped down (landslide) into the valley.

[@iamsmth8230]

The best time to see it is when there is a dusting of snow on all the tops. Look like all the Goblins are wearing white hats.

[@avtomln]

Обычное размывание глины с разной плотностью и составом слоев.

[@gordonmurray3153]

Those crazy space aliens who flew across the galaxies to build these rock formations in Utah, what were they thinking when they did this?

[@PaolaTourGuide]

Thank you. Is it part of escalante?

[@shawnwillsey]

No, it is north and east of that area. Goblin Valley is a state park near Hanksville.

[@lisadyck9503]

It's so strange not to see any plant life.

[@glennquagmire1747]

It would've been nice to see any fossils if any exist there

[@shawnwillsey]

None in the Entrada Formation in this area that I am aware of.

[@valsummers5330]

There were fossilized mud ripples

[@rossmeldrum3346]

At 0:13 I see a duck on the upper right side of the screen. In 2013 two scout leaders toppled a rock there and got prosecuted with fines and probation.

[@fully_retractable]

Do you have a lecture/feild trip that details the San Rafael swell?

[@shawnwillsey]

Not currently. Are you looking for a broad overview of the swell or some specific location? I might be down there in a month or so.

[@fully_retractable]

@shawnwillsey it's formation primarily because of the tilted erosional features mostly. How it came to be, and how it influenced the utah southeast. Was it inland sea drainage, combined with uplifting? Thanks for taking time to answer my question.

[@virgo714]

Can you explain the geology of Zion National Park plz 🤗

[@toughenupfluffy7294]

Sorry to be a stickler, but agate is banded whereas jasper is simply red, like the pieces you're holding. The Entrada Formation used to have three members, the Dewey Bridge Member, the Slick Rock Member, and the Moab Tongue Member. Subsequent studies placed the Dewey Bridge in the Carmel Formation and the Moab Tongue in the overlying Curtis Formation, leaving the Entrada Formation in the unique position of being a formation with only one member, the Slick Rock Member (normally a single-member formation would simply be called 'Entrada,' without the member designation). Overall, the Entrada is interpreted to have been a nearshore sand erg, that is a sand sea next to a water sea, with groundwater effects rising up and cementing layers, then subsiding and allowing windblown sand to accumulate-a situation that's known as a sabkha in modern geologic terms. The Entrada is by and large cemented with calcite cementation from groundwater, rather than siliceous cementation as seen in marine environments and lake beds. That being said, Goblin Valley itself is an ancient tidal flat area, as evidenced by the extremely planar beds mentioned, as well as symmetrical ripple marks indicating oscillating currents, along with interbedded fine grained mudstones. www.geologyin.com/2018/03/what-is-difference-between-agate-and.html stateparks.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2022/07/GV-Brochure-2022.pdf ngmdb.usgs.gov/Geolex/UnitRefs/EntradaRefs_7642.html

[@mikeclarke952]

I'm not sure understand the erosion part. So a Jurassic age shallow ocean laid down the sediments, but how and when did all the erosion occur? 10 of millions of years of glacial melt waters coming off the Rocky's?

[@rodchallis8031]

The lack of marine fossils suggests to me that the Entrada formation accumulated in very deep water?

[@shawnwillsey]

The Entrada Formation is largely bereft of fossils. Here at Goblin Valley in south central Utah, it was deposited in a tidal flat/sabkha environment. Not an ideal place for most organisms.

[@rodchallis8031]

@@shawnwillsey Thanks. I've never heard of Sabkha before, but reading up on it explains much. Thanks again, I'm always learning something new here.

[@brunobembi5276]

what damage appears in the geologic record in the southern USA from the meteor impact 65 million years ago?

[@Don.Kiwitas]

I don't know, Shawn, this here particular episode might best have been held back until a more suitable day in October 2023.

[@shawnwillsey]

Ha! So true.

[@glennk.7348]

It seems like geology always happens millions of years ago. Is sedimentary rock being made somewhere today?

[@shawnwillsey]

Sure. Everywhere there is a depositional setting or basin is a place where the sediments will (or are) get buried, become compacted and cemented, and form rock. Deep beneath the Salt Lake Valley or Central Valley of California, for example.

[@glennk.7348]

@@shawnwillsey thanks!!

[@mitch_the_-itch]

I keep waiting for Jason Nesmith to show up.