Goblin Valley 2014

We spent several days this week in Goblin Valley. When I was a kid, my family vacationed here quite a few times. It’s a kids’ paradise. And I have been very eager to share it with my own kids. Basically, the valley is a giant bowl filled with rock sculptures that you can climb on. Exploring the valley is kind of a cross between hiking and bouldering. It’s loads of fun! And you never go the same route twice.


We left Ollie with my mom and Kerry, because he’s not walking yet, and either Aaron or I would have had to carry him the entire time, and that didn’t sound very fun to us. He had a great time in Hooper. Once in Goblin Valley we met up with two of Aaron’s sisters, Lisa and Stacey, and their families, who came up from St. George to party with us. We were really glad they did. The kids loved hanging out with their cousins, and having more adults to chat with around the fire at night always makes for a more enjoyable evening.

We stayed at one of the coolest camp grounds I’ve ever been to, the Goblin Valley State Park Campground. Our site was right up against these ledges, and the kids could climb and play and explore to their heart’s content without even leaving our campsite.

The first day that we got there is was really windy. Like windy enough that when we put up our tent it kept blowing over. Luckily, my husband is a genius. He thought to bring a giant tarp and some extra rope, so he made a wind barrier, and then our tent stayed up. The first day and night were pretty cold, but the other days warmed up and gave us perfect weather.


We spent a lot of time hiking around in the valley. I decided that it was high-time my kids can carry their own water and snacks, so they each got a fanny-pack to take hiking. And I’ll tell you what, that was the ticket. I did not have to a) haul a heavy backpack full of water b) listen to my kids tell me that they were hungry or thirsty and when were we going to stop? c) stop every five minutes to give them water and snacks. They were in charge of their own stuff, they ate or drank it whenever they felt the need, and we were all happy. Yay for independence! And now here are a million pictures of our trip. :)

 Aneya, Lincoln, and Del

 Aaron with Sam on his back, Spencer, Jordan, Lisa, Carter, Jared, Lincoln

 Jordan and Carter found a cave that they names the Wizard’s Cave. They showed us the way to it, and my kids thought it was the neatest thing ever.

 Lisa and her amazing yoga moves

 Adelia was my hiking buddy, hence the reason why there are way more pictures of her than anyone else. :)

 This is on the ledges above our campsite.

 Lincoln, Jeremiah, Ivan, Audrey, Adelia, and Bennett

 The beginning of our hike into Caramel Canyon. 

 Our family and the Bailey's in Caramel Canyon.

Here are Me, Lisa, Sam, Aaron, Jared, Stacey, and Claire by the fire. One of the nights Stacey and Rob fixed an amazing Dutch Oven chicken and potatoes dinner. And Aaron finished it off with Dutch Oven peach cobbler. It was our first experience cooking in a Dutch Oven, and it turned out so well, I think we’ll definitely be doing it again. :)

 The kids had a great time playing Capture the Flag, Oreo, and other night games at the campsite between dinner, dessert, and bedtime. They were so worn out, that by the time we got into the tent, they went right to bed. It was glorious. And I slept better than I ever have tent camping before. Yay for sleeping.

And on our last day, Lisa had the brilliant idea to ask someone else at the campground to take a picture of our whole group. I’m glad she did. This was a fun trip and I want to remember it!

 The drive wasn’t too bad either, only tree hours, and we had Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to keep us company on the way home. What a great trip! I can’t wait to come back again.