Utah at its finest! Day 3 of our Central Utah Adventure…
Two of Utah’s most interesting excursions are Little Wild Horse Canyon and Goblin Valley State Park. Both are located in the southern portion of the San Rafael Swell. Recall the San Rafael Swell is a vast largely uninhabited expanse located in Central Utah.
We were on day 3 of a 4 day adventure. Green River (Utah) served as our temporary home base for a few nights. Green River, Utah is a small town situated near the San Rafael Swell, Moab and I-70.
At the time, Parowan at Painted Hills RV Resort. Parowan served as the true home base for many of our excursions in the Spring of 2025. You can see the spectacular sites Isaac and I explored while NOT ski instructing at Brian Head!
Our First Two Days in Central Utah
We explored the San Rafael Swell on day 1, then Canyonlands National Park on day 2. Both were amazing and filled with a sense of adventure! Highlights from the San Rafael Swell on day 1 included hiking into a cave that was potentially the alternate site considered for NORAD! Isaac found a way to enter the cave (it had been gated closed) and of course, in we went! Check my post to see what it was like.
We also explored and tried to interpret pictographs that are thousands of years old, left by long-gone civilizations. Lastly, the swinging bridge and the San Rafael River made for a great end point for day 1.
On Day 2 we explored Canyonlands. We hiked, enjoyed overlooks, and visited the Mesa Arch. There was one point at Mesa Arch where Isaac and I discovered you can look through an opening in the sandstone to see the valley at least 1000 ft. below! One of my photos in my Canyonlands post tried to capture that view – see if you can locate it HERE. Canyonlands is a “don’t miss” part of Central Utah.
Getting to Little Wild Horse Canyon
On the morning of our third day, we departed our temporary home in Green River. The drive from Green River to Little Wild Horse Canyon took about an hour. Google Maps will help you to locate it, but you’ll need to set up navigation to the canyon before you lose cell service. I would suggest doing this within 30 minutes of leaving Green River.
The entire stretch you’ll be driving is VERY rural. You’ll travel towards Goblin Valley SP, and then be directed towards Little Wild Horse Canyon. It is along this last 5 mile stretch before you reach the canyon hike, you’ll find dispersed (free) dry camping along a cliff band just to the south of the road (please refer to the above map.)
Goblin Valley State Park also has campsites. There is no electric at the sites in Goblin Valley – and they’re not inexpensive!
Little Wild Horse Canyon
Both Isaac and I were completely inspired by the surroundings. Hopefully our photos communicate that to some small degree. I’d love to hear your reaction to them. Feel free to use the space below to comment!
For most, including me, this is an “in and out” easy to moderate 4 – 5 mile hike. I detail the hike in the video above. I believe there is a “round trip” (longer) option, but you and your group can decide this when you start out. Sandstone layers, some with eerie erosion patterns (see the video!) abound.
As Isaac (and I) noted, the temperature in the narrow slot canyon sections is notably cooler (colder) than in the more open stretches. This region is high desert situated at about 5000 ft. elevation. Winters can be cold, but not bitterly cold, and summers can get quite hot (over 100F.) Relative humidity is almost alway very low – bring water!
It does not rain often, but when it does (there or upstream), flash floods CAN and DO occur. Be aware of this! As you saw in the video, we had a great time and spent a few hours (that flew by!) as we explored the canyon.
We spent perhaps 4 hours in the canyon and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I truly hope I’ve communicated just how much Central Utah has to offer the outdoor enthusiast over these 3 posts covering the San Rafael Swell, Canyonlands, and now this region.
Goblin Valley State Park
Originally referred to as Mushroom Valley by Arthur Chapin. Arthur Chapin was a prospector who first visited the region in the late 20’s. He returned in 1949 and re-introduced the notion of “goblins” to the geologic (hoodoo) features prevalent in what is now Goblin Valley State Park. The state park was founded in 1964.
Situated at about the same elevation as Little Wild Horse Canyon, you’re still in the high desert. You can wander the valley to explore the “goblins.” There is a sandstone cliff along the eastern edge that makes for yet more spectacular scenery.
Bringing you content like this…
Bringing you content like this is truly a labor of love! I enjoyed exploring Central Utah with Isaac. I still have more expeditions to share. Shortly after our exploration of Central Utah, we headed to eastern Nevada for one more excursion – details coming soon.
We then headed in different directions – I traveled through Nevada (more to share from that journey!) and Isaac returned to St. George to pursue his career as a pilot. He will be a flight trainer (at 21 yrs old) this autumn.
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