Welcome to Travel Tuesday! I discovered the existence of Goblin Valley State Park by chance when I was planning my road trip, and when I came across The Goblin’s Lair / Chamber of the Basilisk…well, how the hecks could I not hike this!?
The Goblin’s Lair (Chamber of the Basilisk) in Goblin Valley State Park
Distance: 2.4 miles (out + back)
Elevation: 164 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Duration: 2 hours?
Trailhead Address: Carmel Canyon Trail, Green River, UT 84525 / 38.5737012, -110.7092977
Parking: Lot available!
Admission Fee: $15 for private vehicle
This is located along the eastern part of Goblin Valley State Park! The trail begins at the same spot as Carmel Canyon loop and splits off after about 0.5 miles.
The beginning of this trail is a pretty steep descent, but definitely manageable even without hiking poles as long as you have shoes/boots with good traction!
This is what it looks like below after you climb up some of the rubble!
The opening is where that sloppy arrow is pointing!
It doesn’t look quite so obvious once you’re up there, so I found an “opening” here that I tried to shove a leg through. (Don’t do that.)
This is what you’re looking for!
“The Goblin’s Lair” actually isn’t a cave (although it very much looks like one!) — it’s a slot canyon but its entrance got sealed up by rock fall some time ago. You can go all the way down to the floor of the cave, but be careful, as it’s really steep and slippery.
- Have you ever been to Goblin Valley State Park?
- Would you go into the Goblin’s Lair?!
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This looks so cool! Good thing you ran into someone to show you the way. That does look crazy hard to find! And I’m still wondering how you get to the bottom of the cave. Were you able to walk through to get to that spot? Maybe scoot on your bottom a bit to slide down?
Is the repelling at a different spot? Meaning, you don’t need to repel to get to the bottom, right?
I’m just imagining myself getting all the way down and then not being able to climb back out.😅 But it’s probably not that tricky, right?
However, I do enjoy climbing up rocks so I think I’d enjoy that part. I’d enjoy the whole thing I’m sure as long as you guarantee I won’t get stuck in the cave until someone rescues me.😉
Lauren Elena recently posted…In Five Years: Literary Date Option #1
haha, agreed! It was really nice of her! You basically have to climb down (at least from where I was), but I think the rappelling would be done from elsewhere!
hehehe, I would hope not! It’d be cool to try someday–I figured it might not be the best thing to try alone when I’ve never done it before, but hopefully someday!
Farrah recently posted…The Goblin’s Lair (Chamber of the Basilisk)
What a great trail! I actually like it when trails aren’t always marked properly, makes it a bit more adventurous :) I really liked those rock formations.
Also I know this is a bit silly… but “Chamber of the Basilisk” really reminded me of the second Harry Potter book haha.
Cecilie recently posted…A Visit to BOH Tea Plantation in Cameron Highlands
Very true! It was a fun place to explore!
haha, you’re not the only one! I definitely thought of that too when I first saw the name and decided I had to hike it! :P
This looks so cool. Definitely immediately thought of Harry Potter though. Utah has all the best parks and bikes from what I’ve seen, I came wait to go
Emma recently posted…50 United States Bucket List Ideas By State
That was definitely my first thought as well when I saw the name!! Agreed about Utah (and Colorado!!) — I’d love to go back to explore more someday!!
Wow. This looks like an amazing hike! I love the colour of the rocks.
Devin Held recently posted…Travel Guide to Santiago, Chile: Where to Stay and What to Do
It was a lot of fun to explore! :]!
I love great trails and you have really sold this adventurous trail. I can’t wait to travel again so i’ll pin this for future travel planning. x
hehe, hooray!! I hope you enjoy your time there! There’s another part of the park that I went to that I’ll be posting about next week that was fun to explore as well! :]
This looks awesome! Looks a little too advanced for me right now, but I’m definitely upping my hiking game this summer!
I hope you have lots of fun! :]!
I have never heard of this place but looks so fun to explore! I would love it! Thanks
Thanks for stopping by! It was definitely a fun stop! :]
Farrah recently posted…Ultimate Coffee Date: July 2020
I get a little nervous when trails aren’t super well marked, but this looks so cool I’d do it anyways! Pinning this for when I can make it to this park. Thanks for sharing!
Yay! I hope you like it there–it was a fun hike! I usually like trails to be a bit more well-marked too (especially when I’m going it alone), but I’m glad this one worked out! :P
What a fascinating place! I love finding cool little features like these! I’d love to explore it! Thanks for the wonderful guide, hopefully I’ll get there one day to explore it myself!
I hope you get to sometime too! It was really cool to explore!
These rock formations are awesome! I love the curves as well as the little piles of rocks. Yes, I would love to hike here!
Sharon recently posted…Enjoy California’s Coastline at the Monterey Peninsula
I hope you get to sometime! :D I was kinda sold on the name alone, haha.
The photos look so atmospheric, almost creating a sense of drama and adventure, it must be manyfolds more exciting to be there in person! Unmarked trails always bring that extra sense of thrill. Looks like a lovely trek to go on.
Agreed! Aside from the mom and kids that I passed by on the way to climbing up here, there weren’t any others on this trail–I like exploring less crowded places so this definitely fit the bill for that! :]
Utah keeps calling my name! I really need to visit and would love to hike here!
I hope you get to explore Utah sometime! It’s definitely an outdoor lover’s dream!!
Farrah recently posted…Valley of the Goblins in Goblin Valley State Park
Wow, that looks so cool! So lucky the lady told you where the opening was, because look at that photo, I wouldn’t have been able to find it! It looks like an amazing place to go!
For sure! Even though she told me, I still managed to try to stuff myself down the wrong place, haha. I’m glad I bumped into her!
Farrah recently posted…Valley of the Goblins in Goblin Valley State Park
Wooooah what a cool (and sort of secret) cave! I can totally imagine meeting a goblin in there!
I love how the rocks look completely different in the sun vs inside the cave. They still have the same shapes, but they quickly lose that glow from the hot sunshine!
haha, I would have been horrified if that happened–not sure how quickly I can climb, but maybe the adrenaline would kick in?! :P
Agreed! It was so nice and cool in there–definitely an awesome break from the heat outside!
Wow! This so neat and kind of spooky. I love it! Just the name itself would make me want to visit it. Gotta find that goblin gold!
haha, that’s what sold me too! (Even though I found no gold! :P )
Thank you Farrah for this post. It is a first time I am reading about this spot. It looks awesome :). I love Canyon. We visited the Antelope Canyon in the USA – 2 years ago and I can still remember – it was an awesome experience :). Was the first time you was visiting a Canyon ?
Hmm, that’s a good question–I’m not sure which was the very first one I ever went to. I did go to Antelope Canyon and the Narrows in Zion during this trip, but this one did come first out of those 3!