Red Canyon Hike in Goblin Valley State Park

A yellow bush in front of a red butte with hoodos — A butte beside Red Canyon and a rubber rabbitbrush

When I visited Goblin Valley State Park, I figured we might as well hike as many of the official trails as reasonable/possible, especially in the area around Valley 1, Valley 2, and Valley 3. Caramel Canyon to the Goblin’s Lair wasn’t hard and was definitely fun, so in the afternoon, we started down the Red Canyon Trail. Now, the “trail” to Red Canyon is really just a route with just enough signage to get you hiking but not enough to keep you hiking or get you the end of the route. We managed it, and while it’s not the most scenic or exciting of the hikes in Goblin Valley (for sure), it’s also not too hard, and we found some nice formations and visited Valley 3 along the way. (Note that the route to Red Canyon is also the shortcut route aka only reasonable route to Valley 3 – and that is great Goblin Valley hike!)

Quick Stats

Round Trip Length: 5 miles Trail Type: Out & back with spur option Elevation Gain: 688ft. Pets: Leashed Fees: $20/vehicle

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A balancing red rock below clouds in the sky — A wing-like formation in Valley 3

I did a little bit of exploring along the way, in part because I didn’t understand what the hike was supposed to be (I figured with all of the good signage at the beginning, there would be good signage all the way to the end… no such luck). So sometimes I would climb out of the wash in hopes of finding a trail or cutting a gooseneck of the wash. Most of the exploring outside of the wash area happened on the way back, when I took a long detour through Valley 3.

A rock with a red center surrounded by white rock and orange rock on the outside — A very interesting rock I found in Valley 3

0.0 Red Canyon Trailhead (4,964ft.). The trailhead is located at the far right (when facing Goblin Valley) end of the parking area, which is the opposite side of the parking area than the Caramel Canyon Trailhead. A sign points toward Red Canyon – you might want to take a picture to commemorate the part of the trail that has signage. Actually, the sign says Red Canyon is a “primitive route” and also says, in the small print, “There is no maintained trails in the park’s backcountry. Route finding skills or handheld GPS units are recommended.” They’re right! Follow the trail as it travels southward with Valley 1 on your left. Eventually, the route will drop into the wash. There is one more sign – after this, you’re on your own. Thankfully, since you’re mostly just following the wash, it’s hard to get lost. The sign with an arrow pointing left toward Observation Point and right toward Valley 3, Red Canyon, and Park Boundary – I found this sign more confusing than helpful, but hey, it’s a sign! There isn’t much in the way of views, and it takes a while for the canyon to become red, but the trek isn’t too difficult for the most part. There are sometimes views, especially to the cliffs on the right which are quite pretty as well as a few red buttes and rock formations along the wash. (38.5638400°, -110.7036850°)

A muddy wash with red walls, two bushes, and red badland hills — Walking in Red Canyon maybe about halfway between the parking area and the park boundary

2.0 Valley 3 Sign (4,842ft.). Thinking that we should be seeing signs (after all, this is an official route in Goblin Valley State Park), we scrambled up and found the sign for Valley 3. You’re welcome to explore if you wish, which we did on our way back, or you can continue downcanyon, which is what this guide does for the moment. (38.5453610°, -110.7077820°)

A sign on the brushy bank of a wash surrounded by badlands — The sign informing you that you’re leaving Goblin Valley State Park

2.5 Exit Goblin Valley State Park; Enter Big Wild Horse Mesa Wilderness (4,833ft.). This is the official end of the trail (not that there’s been a trail in probably a mile and a half), but the wash keeps going, so you’re welcome to keep hiking. We went down to a side wash on the right. In this area, we found some neat little goblin formations. And then, in part due to the late hour, we started back up the canyon, turning right out of the wash to get into Valley 3 (we also visited Valley 3 the next day). (38.5426480°, -110.7116850°)

Clouds sail over red badlands and red hoodoo mushroom formations — Badlands and rock formations just outside the state park

3.6 Valley 3 area (4,878ft.). We wandered around the valley for a while, heading generally east, then north after exploring some formations to the second sign for Valley 3 (which officially marks the valley). (38.5461690°, -110.7056820°)

Red hoodoo rock formations below clouds in a blue sky — Clouds over Valley 3

4.7 Second Valley 3 sign (4,882ft.). As I said above, this sign actually marks Valley 3. What we should have done was to turn left to follow the wash southwest to the first Valley 3 sign and then drop back into Red Canyon. But that would have been quite a bit of backtracking in the wrong direction. So we headed across the hills, straight-ish back toward Red Canyon. The problem is that there are several badland hills in the way, and there’s no way around them. So, you’ve been warned.. (38.5497500°, -110.7024710°)

Red badland rock formations beside clouds in a blue sky — Badlands in Valley 3

5.1 Return to defined trail-ish (4,883ft.). At any rate, there is a bit of a trail here, though it disappears again. Keep walking upcanyon – if you miss where the trail begins once again to take you up to the trailhead, the wash will eventually take you up into Valley 1, and from there, it’s easy enough to get back the parking area. (38.5511890°, -110.7055400°)

Red badlands and rock formations below clouds — Red rock formations, likely in Valley 3

6.0 End at the Red Canyon Trailhead (4,964ft.). If you come back late, enjoy sunset from the overlook – it’s beautiful! (38.5639160°, -110.7037090°)

Sunset on a red butte in front of dark clouds — Sunset on a butte in Goblin Valley 1

I wouldn’t choose Red Canyon as the best hike in Goblin Valley State Park, but it has two pros in its favor: 1) it’s the fastest and easiest way to Valley 3, and 2) it’s great for when you’ve hiked all the other trails in Goblin Valley!

Red badlands with yellow buses in the foreground — Rubber rabbitbrushes among red badlands

Round Trip Trail Length: I went 6 miles, but I also explored a lot. You could get away with 4-5 miles, probably, if you stayed in the wash.

Elevation Gain: 688ft. (4,957ft. to 4,816) – this included some unnecessary scrambling/elevation gain, which probably added 100-200ft. of gain

A balancing red rock on a red badland balanced with a white cloud — A random rock formation near Red Canyon

Facilities: Restrooms and picnic tables at the trailhead

Fees: $20 per vehicle, valid until 10pm on the day after you purchase the pass. I made good use of it and purchased at 8:30am – so I spent two full days in the park! Utah State Park Passes are accepted (only available to Utah residents). National Park Passes and other federally-issued passes are NOT accepted.

A red hillside covered in rock formations with red desert in the foreground and blue sky and a single cloud in the background — Rock formations and badlands while walking down Red Canyon (or close to it!)

Trail Notes: I don’t need to detail here the lack of signage after about half a mile of walking. In general, you can just follow the wash, though that’s not always the easiest to do, especially early on. I do recommend continuing a short distance beyond the state park boundary to see the rock formations. With different timing, I might have gone further to see what there was to see; it seemed the wash would take us to some nice views around the San Rafael Swell. Do be wary of quicksand, especially after rain.

A brown sign with arrows beside bushes on a red dirt hill with red rock formations in the distance — The sign for Observation Point vs. Red Canyon/Valley 3 in Red Canyon

Trail

Road

Signs

Scenery

Would I go 100 miles out of my way for this?

Overall Rating:

Water in the creekbed with red badland walls on the left and a brushy bank on the right — Walking down the lower part of Red Canyon

GPS Coordinates for Red Canyon in Goblin Valley

TH: 38.5638400°, -110.7036850° (38°33.83040′, -110°42.22110′ / 38°33’49.8240″, -110°42’13.2660″) (4,964ft.) (0.0)

Valley 3 sign: 38.5453610°, -110.7077820° (38°32.72166′, -110°42.46692′ / 38°32’43.2996″, -110°42’28.0152″) (4,842ft.) (2.01)

Red rock formations including an arch below clouds and a blue sky — Rock formations (including an arch!) just outside the state park boundary

Leave Goblin Valley State Park; enter Big Wild Horse Mesa Wilderness: 38.5426480°, -110.7116850° (38°32.55888′, -110°42.70110′ / 38°32’33.5328″, -110°42’42.0660″) (4,833ft.) (2.51)

Valley 3-ish: 38.5461690°, -110.7056820° (38°32.77014′, -110°42.34092′ / 38°32’46.2084″, -110°42’20.4552″) (4,878ft.) (3.61)

Clouds sail over the desert with distant rock formations and hills — Clouds over views back toward Wildhorse Butte from outside the park boundary

Valley 3 sign: 38.5497500°, -110.7024710° (38°32.98500′, -110°42.14826′ / 38°32’59.1000″, -110°42’08.8956″) (4,882ft.) (4.73)

Return to trail: 38.5511890°, -110.7055400° (38°33.07134′, -110°42.33240′ / 38°33’04.2804″, -110°42’19.9440″) (4,883ft.) (5.07)

End: 38.5639160°, -110.7037090° (38°33.83496′, -110°42.22254′ / 38°33’50.0976″, -110°42’13.3524″) (4,964ft.) (6.02)

Red rock formations in evening light below white clouds — More rock formations just outside of Goblin Valley State Park

The gpx file for Red Canyon can be downloaded – please note that this and the GPS Coordinates are for reference only and should not be used as a sole resource when hiking this trail.

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Hoodoo red rock formations against a blue sky with clouds — Rock formations in Valley 3

Getting to Red Canyon Trailhead

From the Goblin Valley State Park Entrance Station, drive south for 0.5 miles. Turn left, following the sign for the Valley of Goblins. The road will end in a parking area 0.7 miles later. The trailhead is on the far right end of the parking lot near the restrooms (not the vault toilets, which are at the opposite end of the parking area).

Clouds in a blue sky over red rock formations and badlands — Badlands and rock formations in Valley 3

If you also need to get to the entrance station: From I-70, take Exit 149 to UT-24. Turn south and drive 24.2 miles (this turn is on the left, 13.3 miles north of Hanksville, if you’re coming from the south). The junction will be signed for Goblin Valley State Park. Drive 5.2 miles, then turn left (stay on the paved road) for 6.4 miles to the entrance station.

An aerial map with a red line indicating the route for Red Canyon and a loop through Valley 3 of Goblin Valley State Park and a pink line indicating the elevation gain — Visual route map for my hike down Red Canyon and around Valley 3

More Hikes in Goblin Valley and Vicinity

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