Utah has an abundance of scenic beauty.  First impressions of Utah are often blah.  Desert, sand, desert, mountain, desert.  But the state has many national parks and monuments and spectacular scenery.

Ripple in the earth at
San Rafael Swell

A recent stop at an information tent told us about Goblin Valley State Park.  What bizarre rock formations!  Like big and little toadstools all arrayed across just one desert valley.  We imagined all kinds of animals and faces.  Utah has the most impressive collection of rock formations.

Spires in the desert

Goblins in the foreground

I see a rat

After visiting the goblins we headed off to a slot canyon hike.  The weather was threatening so we cut it short but it was still beautiful.  Some real skinny spaces and scrambling up dry waterfalls.

Di in the slot

So if you’re visiting Utah, there is much more to see besides Arches, Zion, Bryce, Capital Reef, Canyonlands et al.  There are scenic wonders most of us have never heard of.