Hw-24 to Goblin Valley State Park
0.0 Turn to the Right Toward Temple Mountain. Sand dunes are visible to the north and south of the Temple Mountain Wash Road. The road continues over poor exposures of Entrada Sandstone, now largely buried by thick drifting belts of sand.
1.2 Gilson Butte and Little Gilson Butte to the south are in the stone baby beds of the Entrada Formation. Temple Mountain is visible on the skyline to the northwest at about two o'clock. It is a bleached outlier of Wingate and Navajo sandstones. Much uranium was produced in the immediate vicinity of Temple Mountain.
4.5 Exposures of white sandstone and gray units of the Entrada Sandstone form eastward dipping cuesta.
5.3 Junction of Goblin Valley Road to the South with the Temple Mountain Road. Continue Ahead on Paved Road into the Temple Mountain Uranium District.
5.9 Entering the San Rafael Reef of massive white cross-bedded sandstones of the Navajo Formation along South Temple Wash. Differential erosion has produced a somewhat pitted surface on the Navajo Sandstone. The prominent joints along which streams have cut outward from the San Rafael Swell can be seen ahead.
6.4 Top of the Kayenta Formation. This is the white flaggy-bedded sandstone. in the whole zone here the rocks have been bleached a light gray.
6.7 End of the paved road. Top of the Wingate Sandstone. The Wingate Sandstone has also been bleached to a light color. This is an unusual color for the formation for it is usually a brick red angular weathering formation.
6.9 Base of the Wingate Sandstones and top of the red Chinle beds is exposed both north and south of the road. Excellent exposures of sandy Chinle beds to the south, with variegated shales particularly well exposed in the lower part of the formation.
7.3 Cross through the upper beds of the Shinarump Conglomerate. Temple Mountain Wash uranium mines and glory holes can be seen toward the north toward Temple Mountain, the prominent white peak on the skyline. Glory holes in the near exposures are in the Shinarump Conglomerate.
7.7 Excellent exposures of Moenkopi beds both north and south of the road at a gully crossing. This road continues on through the San Rafael Swell and ultimately connects with Interstate 70 in the center of San Rafael Swell and with the road from Castle Dale down Buckhorn Wash across the northwest part of the dome.
Turn around in the forks in the road and return to the junction of the Goblin Valley Road at Mile 5. 3 An excellent view of Temple Mountain to the north (fig. 7.23) can be seen from just west of the old Temple Wash uranium campsite. As late as 1968 there were still some leased operations in mines on the Shinarump Conglomerate about halfway between the campsite and Temple Mountain. Navajo Sandstone forms the jointed upper surface of the cliff to the east with bleached Kayenta and Wingate Sandstones exposed on the south side of the gorge.
Figure 7.23. View northward to Temple Mountain from near Mile 7.7. Rocks in the foreground are Moenkopi Formation. Chinle beds form the lightcolored slope and ledge zone in the background and are capped by outliers of bleached Wingate Sandstone which forms Temple Mountain.
9.8 Junction of the Goblin Valley Road at Incoming Mile 5.3. Turn to the South (Right). The road continues to the south through gravel-capped terraces and sand dunes, toward Goblin Valley. The white Navajo Sandstone Reef is visible to the west.
10.7 To the southwest excellent exposures of Carmel Formation can be seen lapping up onto white sandstone outcrops of the Navajo Sandstone. Kayenta beds form the juniper-covered skyline exposures. In the far distance, at two o'clock, Boulder Mountain forms the skyline. Factory Butte forms the square-topped badland butte to the southwest in the distance. Wild Horse Butte and the edge of Goblin Valley are carved in the Summerville, Curtis, and Entrada beds in the near distance at one o'clock.
11.8 The road drops off the gravel terrace into exposures of the Carmel Formation.
12.8 Road Junction to Buckskin Springs. Reddish Carmel beds are well exposed along both sides of the road beneath the light gray basal sandstone of the Entrada Formation.
14.0 Crinkling in the Carmel Formation can be seen in the canyon bottom to the west. This may be related in part to salt heaving and in part to differential sedimentary loading during deposition. The south edge of the San Rafael Swell can be seen to the southwest. Thousand Lake Mountain forms the skyline in the distance.
15.1 Junction of Road to the Southwest Toward Wild Hone Spring with the Main Goblin Valley Road. Continue ahead on main road to Goblin Valley. Wild Horse Spring is in Wild Horse Wash to the west.
Molly's Castle viewpoint is just beyond the junction. Molly's Castle to the southeast is a remnant of the Entrada Formation capped with the greenish Curtis beds. Basal reddish castellate surfaces are in the Entrada beds. The road descends through light greenish tan cross-bedded Entrada Sandstone which forms a slick rock exposure. The beds are dipping steeply to the southeast here and are cut by numerous small faults.
16.1 unction of Goblin Valley Road with the principal road to Wild Horse Mesa and the Muddy River around the south end of the San Rafael Swell. Keep Left Around the Southeast Side of Wild Horse Butte (fig. 7.24). Wild Horse Butte is in the red Summerville, light green Curtis and upper reddish castellate stone baby beds of the Entrada Formation. Crinkly laminated evaporitic Carmel beds can be seen in gullies to the northwest.
17.5 Goblins and stone babies are in the Entrada and can be seen ahead and to the left. The road leads down through massive white basal Entrada Sandstone. This is the same white sandstone which forms the slick rock exposures to the north.
Figure 7.24. View southeastward to Wild Horse Butte which exposed Entrada Formation, as the lower cliff zone, and Summerville Formation, as the upper cliff zone, and Summerville Formation, as the upper cliff zone, separated by a light-colored slope carved on the Curtis Sandstone.
17.8 The road leaves the slick rock exposures and climbs up onto the ridge at the north wall of Goblin Valley. Excellent little Goblins called the Chessmen are visible to the north and are isolated from the main valley which is south of the rim.
18.0 Road Junction. Turn South (Right) to the West, Goblin Valley Overlook. Goblin Valley can be seen both east and west from the overlook point. The road crests out at the top of the north wall of Goblin Valley at the first overlook (fig. 7.25). Goblins are formed where the beds have been jointed in resistant siltstones which alternate with thin relatively easily eroded darker shales. A jeep road leads down from the overlook into Goblin Valley and out to the south end but shouldn't be attempted without local guides. Several unimproved trails lead down into Goblin Valley. Take time to walk around on the valley floor in among the goblins (fig.7.26).
Figure 7.25. View southward into Goblin Valley State Park at Mile 18. The "goblins" we produced by differential weathering within the "stone baby" beds of the Entrada Formation.
18.1 East overlook into the north end of Goblin Valley. Turn around and return to the Temple Mountain Road and then to Utah State Highway 24.
Figure 7.26. Goblins of Goblin Valley. More resistant units are slightly dolomitic and withstand weathering more than do the shaly silty beds which recede to form slopes.
from Field Guide: Northern Colorado Plateau by J. Keith Rigby - Purchase Information
