“Valley of Mushrooms”: Utah’s freakiest landscapes barely anyone sees

Arthur Chaffin’s Discovery of Utah’s Valley of Mushrooms

Arthur Chaffin stumbled on a weird world in the Utah desert back in the 1920s.

While hunting for road routes, he spotted what he called the “Valley of Mushrooms” – a maze of odd rock shapes that looked like goblins frozen in time.

But Chaffin didn’t stop there. He later carved roads through impossible terrain and built the Hite Ferry across the mighty Colorado River in 1946.

For nearly 20 years, his ferry was the only way cars could cross a 200-mile stretch of river, until rising waters from the new Glen Canyon Dam finally shut it down in 1964.

Goblin Valley State Park now preserves the strange landscape that first caught this pioneer’s eye.

Arthur Started His Journey as a Wayne County Commissioner

Arthur Chaffin did many jobs before putting Utah’s Goblin Valley on the map.

From 1922 to 1926, he served on the Wayne County Commission, pushing for better roads in the area. Born in Cedar City in 1884, Arthur started mining at just 12 years old in the Glen Canyon region.

Later, he watched over an empty dredge built by Robert Brewster Stanton and ran a trading post where he worked with Navajo people.

The Weird Rock Formations Caught His Eye During a Road Search

In the late 1920s, Arthur and two friends looked for a good route between Green River and Caineville. They climbed to a spot about a mile west of what we now call Goblin Valley and saw something odd.

Five buttes and strange rock shapes stuck up from the ground, with worn-down cliffs around them. Arthur marked it on his map as the “Valley of the Mushrooms.”

The area was terrible for roads, but those weird rocks stayed in his mind.

He Borrowed a Bulldozer to Carve a Road Through Nowhere

Arthur never gave up easily. In 1932, he talked the Utah Highway Department into lending him a bulldozer.

He carved a winding road down North Wash that finally connected Hanksville to Hite. This road was so rough it crossed North Wash more times than the wash crossed it.

Drivers needed shovels and jacks ready for muddy spots and quicksand. His work opened car access to Glen Canyon for the first time.

His Homestead Became an Oasis for Weary Desert Travelers

In the early 1930s, Arthur built a home at Hite with fruit trees and melons that travelers loved seeing in the middle of nowhere.

His 140-acre property stretched from Hite to Trachyte Canyon. Living 70 miles from the nearest town and 120 miles from any railroad, Arthur enjoyed being alone.

His closest downstream neighbor lived 162 miles away at Lee’s Ferry.

An Old Ford Engine Powered His River-Crossing Dream

When state money came in 1945 to extend the road from Hite to Blanding, Arthur took his chance. He created a ferry that could float cars across the Colorado River.

The ferry ran on an old Ford Model A engine and used thick steel cables made by Geneva Steel. This project would connect Wayne, Garfield, and San Juan counties by car for the first time ever.

The Governor Showed Up When the Ferry Opened

On September 17, 1946, about 400 people gathered to watch the Hite Ferry open, including Utah Governor Herbert Maw and the San Juan County High School Band.

Harry Aleson spoke first about all the work that went into making the ferry happen. At $5 per vehicle, the ferry became the only car crossing along a 200-mile stretch.

Uranium Hunters Kept the Ferry Busy in the 1950s

The ferry proved useful during the uranium boom of the 1950s when prospectors came to the area.

Though small, handling just one big truck or two small cars at a time, it played a big role in opening southeastern Utah.

The state-hired ferryman told local stories during the five-minute crossing. Tourists could now reach this pretty but lonely corner of Utah without taking a long detour.

He Returned to His Mushroom Valley After 20 Years

In 1949, explorer Philip Tompkins hired Arthur as a guide. They spent a week looking at and taking pictures of the rock shapes Arthur had found 20 years earlier.

Tompkins thought “Goblin Valley” sounded better than “Valley of Mushrooms” and would get more people interested.

When the photos appeared in Deseret News Magazine in 1950, tourists started coming to see the strange rocks themselves.

Tourists Almost Loved the Goblins to Death

As more visitors found Goblin Valley, Tompkins worried about people damaging the unique rock shapes. He wrote letters to Congress, the National Parks Service, and Utah’s government asking for protection.

Utah officials listened and bought over 2,000 acres in 1954, making it Goblin Valley State Preserve. On August 24, 1964, it officially became Goblin Valley State Park, keeping these weird rock formations safe.

The Government Offered Peanuts for His Flooded Land

When the Bureau of Reclamation started planning Glen Canyon Dam, Arthur knew his property at Hite would end up underwater.

He fought the federal government through the early 1960s for fair payment. After paying court costs, Arthur had almost nothing left, feeling bitter about the justice system.

In 1965, he sued over his land claims in Glen Canyon. A jury gave him just $8,000 for his Good Hope Bar holdings on January 7, 1966.

Lake Powell Swallowed His Life’s Work

The rising waters of Lake Powell spelled the end for Arthur’s ferry operation. Eventually, the ferry site disappeared under 250 feet of water.

On June 5, 1964, the Hite Ferry made its final crossing before the Colorado River began to back up behind Glen Canyon Dam.

The new Hite Crossing Bridge opened in 1966, replacing the ferry service and ending Arthur’s colorful 35-year chapter in Glen Canyon and southeastern Utah history.

Visiting Goblin Valley State Park, Utah

Goblin Valley State Park costs $20 per vehicle (valid until 10pm the next day) and accepts Annual Utah State Park Passes.

The park is 48 miles southwest of Green River via State Road 24 to Temple Mountain junction and opens 6am to 10pm daily.

You can explore off-trail freely throughout the Valley of the Goblins that Arthur Chaffin discovered in the late 1920s.

Permits are required for Goblin’s Lair canyoneering and can be printed at the entrance.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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