Images of Goblin Valley State Park – central Utah, taken in July 2019.

Situated in the remote and desolate San Rafael Swell, a large geological feature in south-central Utah, Goblin Valley State Park is host to three valleys of rock formations sculpted over millions of years by wind and water erosion.

Visitors are able to hike down into the valleys and explore this unusual landscape while walking around and through the maze of odd shaped tower and mushroom formations. I jumped at the chance to make my way into this labyrinth and found myself lost in the naturally created sculptures where, much like snowflakes, no two are alike. The only thing that could stop me from spending hours wondering amongst this strange scene did; the heat in that valley was at least 10 degrees hotter than the surrounding area and there it was 95. In a place with virtually no air flow and the sun reflecting upward off of the hard packed base one could only last so long before being overcome. So after about an hour it was time to head back to the car, air conditioning and a dose of electrolytes. But this is one of those places to see no matter how far out in the middle of nowhere it is; just don’t make that visit in the middle of the summer.