Torrey to Hanksville, Utah – 30 September 2025
Hanksville, Utah — Where Star Wars Meets the Wild West
Hanksville is one of those places where the familiar world seems to fall away and a whole other planet rises up to greet you. The colourful mountains we’d been traveling through suddenly shifted into silvery gray badlands, jagged cliffs, and towering mesas—scenery so surreal it felt like we’d driven straight onto a Star Wars movie set.
We based ourselves at Duke’s RV Park for three days, eager to explore the area’s unusual geological wonders. Night one, we headed out for sunset at Moonscape Overlook, picnic packed and ready for adventure. The dirt road was long and rough in parts but led us past Factory Butte, a lone, monolithic ridge of gray that rises dramatically from the desert floor—an unforgettable landmark in this wild landscape.
Moonscape truly lives up to its name. With rolling gray ridges and sculpted badlands, the terrain looks closer to the surface of the moon or Mars than to anything on Earth. NASA has actually tested rovers and trained astronauts in this region because it’s so remote and otherworldly. The bentonite clay here gives the hills their ghostly tones, and with almost no vegetation, every curve and shadow pops—especially as the sun dips low. Watching golden light wash over this alien land was absolutely breathtaking.
The next morning, we chased the sunrise at the Bentonite Hills. These rainbow-striped domes glow with pastel layers—rich reds, purples, and pinks from iron and manganese, streaks of white and silver from volcanic ash turned into clay over millions of years. A bumpy dirt road leads past the Mars Research Center (strictly off-limits!), which only adds to the feeling that you’ve stumbled onto a science-fiction film set. I even climbed a few domes for some sweeping shots—completely worth the effort. Truly out of this world.
Back at Duke’s, we rewarded ourselves with a hearty cowboy-style breakfast at their restaurant—because when in Hanksville, you fully embrace the frontier spirit.
On our final day, we explored Goblin Valley State Park and wandered deep into the Valley of Goblins. Here, thousands of quirky rock formations—“goblins” shaped over 170 million years by wind and water—dot the landscape like an army of stone figurines. Mushroom caps, squat towers, goofy faces… everywhere you look is a new shape to marvel at and photograph.
Hanksville may be small, but it delivers some of the most fantastically strange landscapes we’ve ever experienced. A perfect blend of sci-fi imagination and rugged western charm—and a place we won’t soon forget.
