Goblin Valley SP (near Hanksville), Utah
3-Day Itinerary for Solo Traveler
“Hoodoos and Solitude: 3 Days Among Goblin Valley's Stone Army”
The hoodoos don't loom so much as gather — thousands of squat rust-colored figures frozen mid-conversation across a valley floor that feels borrowed from another planet. In summer's blaze, this is a landscape best met at dawn, alone, before the heat and the crowds arrive and the stone army goes silent under a white sky.
At a Glance
Highlights
- Sunrise light pooling across thousands of hoodoos before the heat sets in
- Squeezing through the cool, narrow passages of Little Wild Horse Canyon
- A ghost-town scenic drive past abandoned uranium mines on Temple Mountain
- Solitude hiking on The Separates Trail, far from the main valley crowds
- Star-drenched nights at a campground with almost no light pollution
- A billion years of stacked rock at the San Rafael Swell Overlook
Day-by-Day Plan
Day 1: Arrival and First Light Among the Goblins
A lighter arrival day easing into the landscape with under 3 miles of walking and low-intensity exploration of the main valley.
After the long desert drive, this is the gentle introduction — a wander among thousands of squat, rust-colored hoodoos that seem to lean toward each other mid-conversation. Late afternoon light softens the heat and throws long shadows between the formations, turning the valley into a maze of warm color and cool shade. As a solo traveler, this is an easy, low-stakes first taste of the terrain — no technical navigation required, just space to roam and get your bearings.
Day one is about arrival, not adventure — expect most of the day spent on the drive in from Salt Lake City, Grand Junction, or Moab, with a stop in Hanksville to fill the tank, stock the cooler, and pick up any last supplies, since nothing exists past this point.
By late afternoon, once the worst of the midday heat has eased, head into Goblin Valley itself for a low-effort wander among the hoodoos — no map or plan required, just space to get oriented and let the strangeness of the place sink in before tomorrow's more ambitious hiking.
As dusk settles, the valley empties out and the sky opens into one of the darkest, most star-saturated views in Utah — if camping at Goblin Valley State Park Campground, this is the night to sit outside a while and let your eyes adjust; there's little cell service and even less light pollution, so plan a quiet, unplugged evening.
Day 2: Into the Slot: Little Wild Horse and the Ghosts of Temple Mountain
The most physically demanding day, combining a technical slot canyon hike with a scenic backcountry drive — roughly 5 miles of walking, high energy.
Arrive by 7am and the slot is yours — cool stone walls pressing close on both shoulders, the air noticeably dropping in temperature as you squeeze deeper into the canyon's narrowest sections. This is Utah's most photogenic slot for good reason: shafts of overhead light spill down in narrow columns, illuminating smooth red rock scoured over millennia. Solo hikers should move at their own pace here — the terrain requires scrambling and careful footing, and by 10am the heat and crowds both intensify fast.
A washboard road unspools past the rusted bones of an old uranium mining operation, structures slowly surrendering to wind and time against a backdrop of impossibly layered cliffs. This is a lower-energy midday stop — mostly driving with short stops to wander abandoned mine structures and take in the eerie quiet. It's a good decompression after the morning's scramble, and solitude here is nearly guaranteed even in peak season.
This is the day's reward — a lonely overlook where a billion years of stacked rock catches the last warm light of day. The silence up here is total except for wind, and the scale is humbling in the best way: rust and burnt-orange cliffs receding to a horizon that seems to bend with the earth itself. A perfect, low-effort close to a high-effort day, and a natural spot to strike up conversation with any fellow sunset-watchers.
Set out before 7am while the air still holds its overnight cool, driving the dusty backcountry road toward Little Wild Horse Canyon — the terrain here demands full attention, cool stone walls narrowing around you as the passage twists deeper into the earth, light falling in narrow columns from far overhead.
By midday, trade the tight scramble of the slot canyon for the open expanse of the Temple Mountain Scenic Drive, a slower-paced wander past rusting mining relics and cliffs stacked in impossible layers — a natural decompression before the evening's climb to elevation.
As the heat finally breaks, drive to the San Rafael Swell Overlook for the day's final act — golden light spilling across a billion years of exposed rock, the kind of silence that makes solo travel feel less like being alone and more like having the whole desert to yourself.
Day 3: The Separates and a Slow Goodbye
A moderate final day centered on a quieter trail away from the main crowds, roughly 4 miles total, easing toward departure.
Arrive at first light and this trail belongs entirely to you — burnt-orange rock walls framing an endless horizon, boots crunching over sand and loose shale, the only sounds wind and the occasional raven call. This is the quieter, more intimate counterpart to the main Goblin Valley loop, and for a solo traveler it offers the trip's most contemplative stretch: three hours of walking through sculptural hoodoo formations with almost no one else in sight. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer, making this early window essential, not optional.
Set out before sunrise for The Separates Trail, where three hours of quiet walking through burnt-orange badlands offers the trip's most solitary, meditative stretch — a fitting final immersion before the desert lets you go.
By midday, with the heat climbing hard, use the remaining hours for a final supply stop in Hanksville and the long drive back toward Salt Lake City, Grand Junction, or Moab, the hoodoos receding in the rearview mirror.
Evening finds you well outside the park, likely back in range of cell service and a proper meal — a natural moment to reflect on three days spent almost entirely alone in one of Utah's strangest, most silent landscapes.
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Customize This ItineraryNo dining venues were mapped inside Goblin Valley State Park or along its immediate access roads in our sources — this doesn't mean none exist, but plan meals around Hanksville and pack ample food and water for park days.
Dietary compatibility tags are general guidance. If you have severe allergies, confirm directly with any restaurant before dining.
Travel tips are general guidance, not professional safety advice. Check government advisories and current weather/flood conditions before entering slot canyons or remote trails.
All prices are approximate and may vary seasonally.
