DAY 7
Finding the Magic in Little Wild Horse and Goblin Valley State Park
Have breakfast in Torrey and enjoy the 1 1/2 hr drive on Route 24 to Little Wild Horse Canyon via the entrance to Goblin Valley State Park. (If you go via Coal Mine Road it takes longer to get there.) This is a fun slot canyon to hike. It isn't too technical but can offer some fun scrambling.
HIKE 1:
Little Wild Horse Slot Canyon Out and back hike your choice of when to turn around or the full hike 8.1mi/5hr. Have snacks or a packed lunch when through. This slot canyon was magical!!
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| Little Wild Horse Slot Canyon* |
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| Little Wild Horse Slot Canyon* |
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| Little Wild Horse Slot Canyon* |
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| Little Wild Horse Slot Canyon* |
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| Little Wild Horse Slot Canyon* |
Drive 30 min to Goblin Valley
HIKE 2:
Goblin Valley State Park $20 1-2 hours. See hike descriptions Goblin Valley State Park. Goblin Valley sure has the magic too. There are 3 large areas filled with these goblin-like formations.
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| Goblin Valley State Park* |
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| Goblin Valley State Park* |
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| Goblin Valley State Park* |
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| Goblin Valley State Park* |
Drive 2 hours to MOAB If arriving in Moab 2 hours before sunset or earlier you have time to hike. (We were tired and didn't want to add another hike so we drove to the Delicate Arch viewpoint and walked out onto the rock from there.)
- Depending on when you arrive at Arches NP the park could be closed to additional visitors. If you arrive between 9 and 2 your are at risk of being turned away. For this reason I switched out my plans to put Arches before Capitol Reef. That way if you don't get in the first day you still have an extra day to try. Just get there early and you will be fine.
HIKE 3:
Delicate Arch 2-3 hr, strenuous, 3 mi, a popular spot for sunset. From Scenic Dr TR onto Delicate Arch Rd. Restrooms here. Uphill strenuous. 3 mi RT/2-3 hrs. You may need headlamps or similar for your hike back.
Delicate Arch 2-3 hr, strenuous, 3 mi, a popular spot for sunset. From Scenic Dr TR onto Delicate Arch Rd. Restrooms here. Uphill strenuous. 3 mi RT/2-3 hrs. You may need headlamps or similar for your hike back.
HIKE 3 ALTERNATIVE:
Corona Arch, an enormous arch outside the parks. This arch is about 20 minutes from Moab, along the Colorado River. Make the 1 1/2 mile hike out to the arch and settle in for a glowing sunset. From Moab, take US-191 N for 4 miles. TL on UT-279 S. Follow UT-279 for 10 miles. Parking and trailhead are N (right-side) of the highway. The trail is a moderately strenuous 3 mi/2-3hr round trip hike.- You might want to stop and look at the Potash Petroglyphs and Dinosaur Tracks on the drive to the trailhead. You pass right by them and they only require a couple of minutes extra to enjoy.)
Dinner in Moab. There are a lot of options for Dinner in Moab compared to the previous locations. We ate at Sultan Mediterranean Grill and thought the food was excellent.
HOTEL There are a lot more options here for hotels as well. We earn points at Holiday Inn Express so we stayed there. It was average. I am not a fan of their breakfasts but oh well.
Most of the locations on this trip are also International Dark Sky Parks: Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, Dead Horse Point State Park, Goblin Valley State Park, Kodachrome Basin State Park, and Zion NP. My trip also coincided with a full moon so I had to time photography before the moon came up.
*I packed light. My Canon 24-105L lens stopped communicating with my Canon 5D Mark IV so most of
my photos were taken with a Sony Point and Shoot. I was soooo disappointed.
But lesson learned.
Never pack light!
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