Wild Horse Window/Eyes of Sinbad

The Trail
This moderate trail is only a mile long with about a 290 foot elevation change. Keep in mind however that there is a little bit of going up and down along the trail, so you will be climbing a bit more than that.

Topographical Map

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

This trail goes in nearly a straight line from the parking area to Wild Horse Window. From the trailhead, your destination looks like a cave up in the rocks to the west, so by continuing in that direction you should be able to find it even if the cairns marking the way get sparse. The trail starts by dropping down into a wash and then climbing back out. From there the trail follows rock cairns across slick rock for a ways until it hits a steep drop off to a pool of water below about half way along the route. (Though it is possible that this pool is not always there.)

After this point, the trail heads up around this drop off and back down into another wash. For the most part, the trail continues following this wash to the window. As hikers near the window, the trail narrows as it heads back into an alcove area. We started to see a number of little pools here, which were full of tadpoles.

A tadpole in one of the pools

We found that to continue to the arch, we needed to either wade through one of these pools or climb down a short ledge to get around the water. These pools may be drier during parts of the year, but it is not unlikely you will find some water. There were a lot of frogs in the area, making us suspect it was generally a moist place.

Approaching Wild Horse Window

Wild Horse Window

Looking down the canyon from Wild Horse Window

 Along one of the walls of this wind cave there are even some petroglyphs.

Petroglyphs in cave

Be aware that this trail offers little shade, so it can be quite hot during the summer. The closest water available is at nearby Goblin Valley, but there is no water here. There are also no restrooms here, though there are a number of primitive campsites around this area.

Directions
This trail is located in Emery Count, UT just outside Goblin Valley State Park. The closest town is Hanksville, followed by Green River. To get there from I-70, turn south onto UT-24. Next, turn west onto Temple Mt Road. Continue to Goblin Valley Rd. and turn left onto it. Take the third dirt road to your right, and drive to the small parking area across from what looks like a cave in the rocks to the west. There is nothing to mark the road, and there are no signs to indicate the trail, but you can see the trail's destination from the trailhead.

Goblin's Lair/Chamber of the Basilisk

The Trail
This 1.3 mile long trail (one-way) is mostly easy with only a 166 foot elevation change. The trail is fairly flat until the very end when it reaches the "lair," at which point there is a short steep climb up to an opening and then some rock scrambling to get down into the chamber.

Topographical Map

Graph of Elevation

Trail in Google Earth

The trail starts just north of the first Valley of Goblins. It circles around to the back/east side of the mountains and other rock formations that create a backdrop to Goblin Valley.

At the very end of the trail, the path curves back into the mountains. To reach the chamber, hikers must climb up a steep rock-strewn path.

Path into Goblin's Lair

Once at the top of this path, one may peer down into the chamber below, and scramble down the rocks here at the entrance to get inside.

At entrance of chamber from the top of trail

Cave Opening

Once inside, the walls of the chamber tower up over you, and the temperature makes a palpable drop. A couple holes from up on top let some light in. Some people rappel down these openings, but be aware that a payed permit from the visitor's center is required for this. We also found a small short cave just to the side of the rocks at the opening. We explored it with a flashlight, but found it soon got to narrow to continue without danger of getting stuck.

Popcorn on the walls

From the back of the chamber looking toward
the rocky entrance

Be aware that this trail has little shade and can be very hot, particularly during the middle of the day in the summer. There are chamber toilets available at the parking lot, but there isn't any water unless you are go to the campgrounds or the station at the park entrance.

Directions
This trail is located in Goblin Valley State Park, which is in Emery County, Utah. The closest town is Hanksville, followed by Green River. To get there from I-70, turn south onto UT-24. Next, turn west onto Temple Mt Road. Continue to Goblin Valley Rd. and turn left. You will have to pay to enter the park at the station. From there, continue along Goblin Valley Rd. to the parking lot. The trail starts at the north side of this parking area.