“Them Goblins are good people”. Goblin Valley, Utah is a state park near a small town. At the restaurant a local asked what brings you to town. I responded that we were going to visit Goblin State Park. His friendly response was --- “Them Goblins are good people”. I was fortunate to visit in early spring, after lots of rain and snow, before the crowds trample and climb the Goblins. The hoodoos or goblins are made of rocks, sand, shale and if it rains mud. Think of the sand castles you made off the tip of your finger with water and fine sand. If undisturbed the goblins are covered with a fantastic fragile layer of your childhood sand castles and water tube crust. The rules in the park are very lax for now. For example on one of the posted information signs it warns that the nearest hospital is many miles away and you should think about that as you decide to take a risk climbing the crumbling formations. You measure how long mountains and landscape features are going to be around by 100s of millions of years. These structures are at the mercy of nature and people. They will be around for a lot longer if protected. I am not a big fan of overprotecting the parks for only a few people to study up close for their lifetime work. But in this case I feel that a policy of "No Climbing" and "Do not disturb the crust on the Goblins" would be the least you could do. While in the park I saw one family climb one of the larger Goblins for a photo. A very selfish and dangerous act. Like a good old dog the Goblin withstood the abuse. The goblins are in fact a very large sand castle with large sand stone caps, and can crumble at any time. It could have been a grizzly accident. Some day this will end in a sandstone grinder of death and injury on this very large Goblin. I don't want a fence or a wood path in the park just stronger rules and language and maybe a fine posted. I want to protect my new friends but I also want them to play. “Them Goblins are good people” Daniel P Woods Please feel free any thoughts or comments .

“Them Goblins are good people”. Goblin Valley, Utah is a state park near a small town. At the restaurant a local asked what brings you to town. I responded that we were going to visit Goblin State Park. His friendly response was --- “Them Goblins are good people”. I was fortunate to visit in early spring, after lots of rain and snow, before the crowds trample and climb the Goblins. The hoodoos or goblins are made of rocks, sand, shale and if it rains mud. Think of the sand castles you made off the tip of your finger with water and fine sand. If undisturbed the goblins are covered with a fantastic fragile layer of your childhood sand castles and water tube crust. The rules in the park are very lax for now. For example on one of the posted information signs it warns that the nearest hospital is many miles away and you should think about that as you decide to take a risk climbing the crumbling formations. You measure how long mountains and landscape features are going to be around by 100s of millions of years. These structures are at the mercy of nature and people. They will be around for a lot longer if protected. I am not a big fan of overprotecting the parks for only a few people to study up close for their lifetime work. But in this case I feel that a policy of "No Climbing" and "Do not disturb the crust on the Goblins" would be the least you could do. While in the park I saw one family climb one of the larger Goblins for a photo. A very selfish and dangerous act. Like a good old dog the Goblin withstood the abuse. The goblins are in fact a very large sand castle with large sand stone caps, and can crumble at any time. It could have been a grizzly accident. Some day this will end in a sandstone grinder of death and injury on this very large Goblin. I don't want a fence or a wood path in the park just stronger rules and language and maybe a fine posted. I want to protect my new friends but I also want them to play. “Them Goblins are good people” Daniel P Woods Please feel free any thoughts or comments .