RV Tour Leg 30 – Arches, Goblin Valley, and Capitol Reef (with friends!)

Judy Carmein
Apr 30, 2025
3 min read

Updated: Nov 30, 2025

April 18 - 30, 1025

We continued our tour of Utah’s Mighty Five—Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Bryce. This leg featured two of those national parks and one quirky little state park with some movie magic sprinkled in.

Arches National Park

I tried so hard to get a campsite inside Arches, logging on six months in advance to the second the sites opened—three days in a row while camped at Mammoth Cave. But somehow, every attempt ended with “site not available.” I blame the slow campground Wi-Fi and the fact that we hadn’t yet caved and bought Starlink. So, we booked a private campground just outside the park. While the sites were a bit snug, we had full hookups, laundry, and a (gasp) swimming pool. The weather had finally turned warm enough to enjoy it!

I’d been to Arches a few years ago with my friend Anne from Ann Arbor. That trip was originally supposed to be a threesome with our other friend Therese, but on the day of the flight, Therese came down with COVID. While hiking through Arches this time, I was thinking back to that trip with Anne—and looking forward to the next stop, Capitol Reef, where Anne and Therese were due to join us. (Spoiler: They made it, no COVID complications this time.)

Arches truly earns its name. While the actual arches are breathtaking, we were just as awed by the fins, balancing rocks, and crazy formations that seem to defy physics. We spent three days hiking, soaking it all in. One day we took a break from the red rocks and rode the paved bike trail along the Colorado River outside Moab. Yes, that Colorado River—still winding its way through our route.

Walking through the fins at Devil Garden

Biking along the Colorado River

Hike up to Delicate Arch where we met this delightful young couple

Goblin Valley State Park

Somewhere along the way, we commented that the landscape looked like another planet—which of course led to a lively discussion of our favorite space spoof, Galaxy Quest. Naturally, we looked up where the alien planet scene was filmed and found out: Goblin Valley State Park, right on our path to Capitol Reef. We cut Arches short by a day and headed out to hike among the “goblins”—the funky rock formations that became the infamous Rock Monster in the film. David had to reenact a scene. Obviously.

Galaxy Quest - David channeling Tim Allen as Captain Taggart

Other worldly - Goblin Valley State Park

Opted for another BLM site outside Goblin Valley State Park - beautiful!!

We also hiked nearby Little Wild Horse Canyon, a beautiful slot canyon with narrow passages. It didn’t have the fame of Antelope Canyon, but it had far fewer people and most of the charm.

Capitol Reef National Park

From Goblin Valley, we headed to Capitol Reef, where Anne and Therese flew in to meet us. Since Therese is allergic to cats, the camper was off-limits, and they wisely snagged a charming Airbnb in Torrey. We had five magical days of hiking, eating, spa-ing, and rock-hunting. One day, we drove through the Dixie National Forest to Boulder, Utah—home of Hell’s Backbone Grill, a celebrated farm-to-table restaurant. Tiny town, huge culinary reputation. Therese had booked reservations months ago (good thing, because walk-ins are not a thing here). The food was incredible—a welcome break from camper cuisine.

Enjoying Happy Hour at Capitol Reef campsite

In Boulder, we explored a small but fascinating museum with Indigenous history and artifacts, then took a scenic drive to a lush slot canyon filled with trees—yes, trees in a slot canyon! Meanwhile, Anne, Therese, and I had a spa day that magically aligned with our one rainy afternoon. (Shoutout again to our hardworking weather angel.)

Trees in a Slot Canyon - Singing Canyon!

One day was dedicated to rock-hounding on the rugged backroads around Torrey. The Beast (our trusty F-350) powered us down some true four-wheel tracks. We found stunning chert, agates, and even pieces of petrified wood. We ended up with a whole picnic table full of treasures—too many to take with us. Since we’re all in the life phase of downsizing, we reluctantly left the “rejects” in a ring around a tree, hoping some rock-loving kid will stumble on them and be delighted.