India, March 24 -- If you find yourself drawn to the layered red rock and creature-like hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, but don't want to jostle for photos of the Bryce Amphitheater among umbrella-toting tour groups, you might want to look north.

Just 3.5 hours away from Bryce Canyon and about 1.5 hours from both Canyonlands and Arches National Park, you'll find Goblin Valley State Park, a park that is often overlooked and relatively undiscovered. I stumbled on it after spring flooding dashed my chances of backpacking through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, also located near Bryce Canyon. In the end, it was the happiest turn of events.

When I visited in the early spring, Goblin Valley State Park was quiet, wi...