Many visitors discover Goblin Valley by chance on their way between marquee national parks like Capitol Reef and Canyonlands. But this Utah state park received unwanted publicity in 2013 when two men were caught on video toppling rocks off the weirdly rounded hoodoos that give the park its name.
That act of vandalism spurred a big idea: why not expand the park? Goblin Valley currently consists of about 3,500 acres of outlandish geology. But that may soon grow to about 10,000 acres under a State Parks plan.
And there’s more: While the state would oversee the larger park, the project area also takes in another 120,000 acres in the neighboring and also scenic San Rafael Reef, to be cooperatively managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management, Emery County, and Utah State Parks. And all of that is part of an even bigger package spearheaded by U.S. Congressman Rob Bishop that aims to resolve wilderness protection, energy development, and other issues in the region.
Details of the proposal are still being hammered out, though there’s lots of agreement about the general idea. If the park boundaries are extended, cattle grazing, off-highway-vehicle driving, and hunting would likely continue, along with hiking, camping, and other recreational uses.
Expanding Goblin Valley State Park could mean more staff to handle heavy recreational impacts, says Tim Smith, southeast regional manager for Utah State Parks. He and others think a bigger Goblin Valley could be good deal for the land all the way around.
Earth Notes is produced by KNAU and the Sustainable Communities Program at Northern Arizona University.
