Torrey, Utah / Guided trips / Goblin Valley
The day trip that lets you do what the national park will not
Goblin Valley Tours From Torrey
Goblin Valley tours from Torrey are sold as scenery, and the scenery is genuinely strange. The better reason to go is that Goblin Valley State Park permits three things Capitol Reef does not: wandering freely off trail among the formations, flying a drone under permit, and rappelling into a cave for four dollars. This page covers what the state park actually allows, what it costs, and which operators drive it.
If you read one section
A long drive, and a genuinely different set of rules
Goblin Valley sits off Highway 24 north of Hanksville, and getting there from Torrey means driving east through Capitol Reef, on past Caineville, then north. No official source publishes a distance or drive time from Torrey. What the state park does publish is the route: 20 miles north of Hanksville on Highway 24, turn at the Temple Mountain junction, follow signs 12 miles to the park.
Take the park's own GPS warning seriously, because it is unusually direct: the correct route to the park is paved the entire length. If your GPS directs you onto a dirt road, it is not the correct route. That single sentence prevents the classic mistake here.
Whether it is worth the drive depends on what you want. If you have already walked Capitol Reef's trails and want something the national park cannot offer, the answer is yes: three square miles of hoodoos you are explicitly invited to wander through, a rappel route, and a drone permit. If you just want more red rock, you have plenty of that eleven miles from Torrey.
Most guided Goblin Valley days from Torrey are really a full circuit that takes in Factory Butte, Moonscape Overlook and the Bentonite Hills on the way. If those are the draw, the backroad page covers the vehicles those roads need.
The actual argument for going
What Goblin Valley allows that Capitol Reef does not
These are two different agencies with two different mandates, and the gap between their rule books is the real reason to make this drive.
| Activity | Goblin Valley State Park | Capitol Reef National Park |
|---|---|---|
| Walking off trail | Explicitly invited. The Valley of Goblins spans nearly three square miles and is described as a free roaming area that can be explored at your leisure | Stay on established trails, avoid stepping on biological soil crust, do not shortcut switchbacks |
| Drones | Allowed by permit at $15 per drone per day, from the drone platform at Observation Point, over Valley 1 only. Weekdays only from March to October, two permits an hour and ten a day | Not allowed in the park at all. No permit route exists |
| Dogs | Allowed on a leash of six feet or less. We found no rule excluding them from the Valley of Goblins | On a six foot leash in developed areas only. Not permitted on hiking trails, in public buildings or in the backcountry |
| Rappelling | The Goblin's Lair route, an 89 foot natural sandstone cave, on a $4 per person backcountry permit issued same day at the visitor center | Canyoneering permits are free, but the routes are technical canyons rather than a single set piece rappel |
| Night sky | An International Dark Sky Park, announced September 2016, following National Park Service night sky team measurements in June 2015. No tier published | A gold tier International Dark Sky Park since 2015. Light painting prohibited |
The free roaming point is the one that changes a family's day. Capitol Reef asks you to stay on the trail for good reasons, and Goblin Valley asks the opposite, because the hoodoos sit on hard ground with no crust to damage. Children who have spent three days being told not to leave the path can be turned loose here.
Two cautions the park does publish. Be mindful not to climb on the more fragile hoodoos, and all natural features in Utah state parks are protected, with defacing them unlawful. We could not find a blanket prohibition on climbing anywhere in the official material, so the honest version is: wandering is encouraged, the formations are legally protected, and the park asks you not to climb the fragile ones.
All of it, published
Fees, hours and staying over
| What | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Day use, private vehicle | $20 | Park is open 6am to 10pm every day |
| Day use, motorcycle, bicycle or on foot | $10 | |
| Commercial vehicle | $5 per person | This is what a guided tour pays on your behalf |
| Camping | $45 a night | Includes the entry pass for one vehicle. 24 sites, no electrical hookups. Extra vehicle $20 |
| Yurt | $150 plus tax | Two yurts only. A bunk over a double plus a futon, heating, swamp cooling and a grill with propane. Up to two dogs at $20 each |
| Group campground | $200 plus tax | Up to 40 people and 10 vehicles |
| Drone permit | $15 per drone per day | Observation Point platform, Valley 1 only, weekday restrictions March to October |
| Goblin's Lair rappel permit | $4 per person | Up to ten in a group. Same day only, first come first served, from about 8am when staff arrive. You are given a two hour window |
The booking window is the whole game if you want to stay. There are 24 campsites and two yurts in the entire park, and reservations open four months to the day in advance at 8am Mountain Standard Time. For a park this popular that is not a suggestion, it is a calendar entry.
Day visitors should note the rappel permits work differently from almost everything else in Utah. They cannot be reserved. They are issued on the day, first come first served, from roughly 8am when staff reach the visitor center, and each one carries an assigned two hour slot. If Goblin's Lair is your reason for driving two hours, arrive early enough to be at the desk when it opens.
More than a photo stop
What to actually do there
The Valley of Goblins
Park, walk down, wander. Nearly three square miles of hoodoos formed from Entrada sandstone laid down about 170 million years ago when this was a tidal flat, shaped since by spheroidal weathering.
No route, no trail, no plan required. Two hours here is enough for most people and it is the thing you drove for.
Goblin's Lair
A three mile out and back hike reaches the chamber, and no permit is needed to walk to it, only to rappel in. Light falls through ceiling vents more than 100 feet above the floor. The rappel itself is 89 feet by the park's own figure, needs technical gear and canyoneering skills, and the $4 permit funds route maintenance.
The park's own canyoneering page points visitors at a guide service for this, which is unusual and worth noting.
Little Wild Horse and Bell Canyons
Not in the state park. This is BLM ground, reached from the same road: from Highway 24 turn west on Temple Mountain Road for 5 miles, south on Goblin Valley Road for 6, then west on Wild Horse Road for 5 to the trailhead. An eight mile loop taking close to four hours, described as family friendly with some scrambling.
No fee, a parking lot and vault toilets, leashed dogs allowed.
The BLM's warning about those slot canyons is short and should be read literally: the canyons have extreme potential for flash floods. It also notes water can be present at certain times of year and may be impassable. The state park tells slot canyon hikers to check the flash flood forecast, and that is the right habit here between July and September.
Other marked trails in the state park are all short: Carmel Canyon Loop at 1.5 miles round trip, Entrada Canyon at 1.5 one way, Curtis Bench at 1.5 round trip, the Three Sisters at 250 yards, and Toadstool Canyon at about 2.7 miles. For anything off those, the park warns that experience in desert backcountry navigation is required and recommends studying aerial photography and carrying a handheld GPS.
If you would rather not drive it
Guided trips
Three operators sell a Goblin Valley day that starts within reach of Torrey. Prices are what each publishes on its own site, checked September 2026.
| Operator | Trip | Price | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get in the Wild Adventures | Half day Goblin's Lair canyoneering, 4 to 5 hours, groups of 2 to 10 | From $179 per person, or $999 private for 1 to 6 | March to November, meeting at the state park visitor center. State park entrance fees are included, along with all canyoneering gear and instruction. Featured on the state park's own canyoneering page |
| Waterpocket Adventure Company | Full day, 7 to 8 hours, from Torrey | $650 for 1 to 2, $750 for 3 to 4, $850 for 5 to 7 | An enclosed four wheel drive taking in Factory Butte, Moonscape Overlook and the Bentonite Hills before Goblin Valley. Meals not included, and their site does not state whether the park entrance fee is |
| Capitol Reef Outfitters | Goblin Valley Backcountry Tour, full day from Torrey | From $760 private for 1 to 3, plus $100 each additional | Year round, with a warm jacket required October to April. Lunch included. Involves river fording, rock traverses and sandy terrain, and they rate it moderate to challenging |
The Get in the Wild trip is the outlier on this page and the one worth a second look. Including the state park entrance fee matters more than it sounds: a self guided party pays $20 for the vehicle plus $4 a head for the rappel permit, and then has to be at the desk at 8am to get one. Being featured on the state park's own canyoneering page is the closest thing to an official nod any operator on this site has.
One listing to correct: Meridian Tours is sometimes named as a Goblin Valley operator. We could not find a Goblin Valley trip anywhere on their site. They do run Hanksville area days at $450 per person covering Moonscape Overlook and the Bentonite Hills, and a great deal else. Ask them directly rather than assuming.
Driving yourself is entirely reasonable. The route is paved the whole way, the park charges $20 a vehicle, and the Valley of Goblins needs no guide at all. A guided day is worth paying for if you want the backroad circuit on the way, or if you want to rappel without owning the gear.
Straight answers
Goblin Valley questions
How far is Goblin Valley from Torrey?
No official source publishes a distance or drive time from Torrey, and we are not going to invent one. What the state park does publish is the route: 20 miles north of Hanksville on Highway 24, turn at the Temple Mountain junction, then follow signs 12 miles to the park. The National Park Service puts Hanksville 37 miles east of the Capitol Reef visitor center.
How much does Goblin Valley cost?
$20 for a private vehicle, $10 on a motorcycle, bicycle or on foot. Camping is $45 a night including entry for one vehicle, yurts are $150 plus tax, and the group campground is $200 plus tax. A drone permit is $15 per drone per day and the Goblin's Lair rappel permit is $4 per person.
Can you walk anywhere among the goblins?
Yes. The state park describes the Valley of Goblins as spanning nearly three square miles and being a free roaming area that can be explored at your leisure. It asks visitors to be mindful not to climb on the more fragile hoodoos, and all natural features in Utah state parks are legally protected.
Can I fly a drone at Goblin Valley?
Yes, with a permit, which is a real difference from Capitol Reef where drones are banned outright. Permits are $15 per drone per day, flights must launch from the drone platform at Observation Point and stay over Valley 1. From March to October no drones are allowed at weekends or holidays, with two permits issued per hour up to ten a day.
Do I need a permit to rappel into Goblin's Lair?
Yes, a $4 per person backcountry permit for groups of up to ten, issued at the visitor center on the day only, first come first served from around 8am, with a two hour window assigned. You do not need a permit to hike to the chamber, which is a three mile out and back. The rappel is 89 feet and needs technical gear and skills.
Can I camp there, and how far ahead do I book?
There are 24 campsites and two yurts in the whole park, so yes but only just. Reservations open four months to the day in advance at 8am Mountain Standard Time through ReserveAmerica. There are no electrical hookups anywhere in the park.
Is Little Wild Horse Canyon at Goblin Valley?
No, it is Bureau of Land Management ground nearby, reached off the same road. From Highway 24 turn west on Temple Mountain Road for 5 miles, south on Goblin Valley Road for 6, then west on Wild Horse Road for 5 to the trailhead. The loop is eight miles and takes close to four hours. BLM warns that the canyons have extreme potential for flash floods.
Can I bring my dog?
Yes, on a leash of six feet or less, and up to two dogs may stay in a yurt for $20 each. We found no state park rule excluding dogs from the Valley of Goblins, which is a real contrast with Capitol Reef where pets are not permitted on hiking trails or in the backcountry.
Fees, hours, rules, permits and trail details come from Utah State Parks, and the slot canyon route and flash flood warning from the Bureau of Land Management, checked September 2026. Tour prices are what each operator publishes about itself.
Next step
Make it the day you do the things the park forbids
Off trail, a drone, a dog and a rappel, all in one place, two hours from Torrey.
Also useful: photography rules compared, getting around out here and days that work with children and camping options. Or who writes this site.