Chamber of the Basilisk – Goblin Valley State Park
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Feature Film Even after checking NOAA every hour on Friday and staring at the forecast, we went anyway. Joel and I had grand plans of doing 3 or 4 slot canyons this weekend. The North Wash has a whole slew of “mini” slot canyon that, from the pictures we have seen, look AMAZING ! SO… we packed up our car Friday evening and headed to the North Wash. The forecast called for 60% chance of rain/snow on Saturday, but we had to try anyway. Yes the drive is 4 hours, and yes it does take money to pay for gas to get there, but our love for the sport and hope for better weather triumphed.
The drive down to the North Wash was good. The weather Friday wasn’t to bad and we made good time to our destination. The skys at 11pm looked promising (hey, we could see the moon and some stars at least) but our hopes were put to rest come Saturday, early morning. From our comfy sleeping bags it was hard to ignore the pounding of RAIN on the car that morning. We would not be doing any slot canyons in the North Wash today
It didn’t take long to stuff our sleeping bags and return our reclined seats/beds for the night, to their upright position and start the trek back home. Additionally, (hehehe) it didn’t take to long for us to realize that it wasn’t raining at Goblin Valley–just snowing– and that we could probably hike to the “Chamber of the Basilisk” and rappel down into that!
So… that is what we did. Despite the un-plowed snowy roads, we turned to Goblin Valley State Park to hike its canyoneering route. It was Joel’s first time ever to see the Valley of the Goblins, and I was excited to take him to see that as well.
The valley was BEAUTIFUL ! I have never been there in the winter time when all the hoodoo’s are covered with snow, so it was incredible to see the park in this state. The blue skys were absent, but the snow covered red rock sure was something to see.
The hike to the top of the chamber is a really unique experience. The trail takes you across the valley to the backside (east) and along the way you feel like you have been transported to a foreign fantasy land. The spires, and hoodoos are kind of surreal and very pretty. Every step and every turn commands the mind and mouth to think and speak awe. Once you get closer to the top of the chamber where you rappel, the canyon gets more “sloty” and canyon-like. There are some fun down-climbs to be enjoyed.
The rappel into the chamber is really something else. From the top all you can see initially is dark hole. It isn’t until you are secured to your rope and semi-committed to descend when you can finally see the bottom of what you are descending into. It is always a very thrilling experience to take that first peek into the chamber. It is a far fall from the top! It is so fun to experience visiting this gem from the top-down; only a rappel on a rope can offer this kind of beauty, awe and fun!
Once down, it is inspiring to see the cathedral like chamber! It is a huge cavern. With a few skylights in the ceiling, the light illuminates the red walls. In my mind I think it would be a very worshipful and holy place for all “Goblins” in this beautiful valley!
Not much time was spent admiring the beauty of the chamber (sadly enough). Soon Joel and I had pack up our gear and were heading up and out. The view from the exit was stunning! After some last minute pictures were snagged, we headed down the rocky and snowy trails back to our car. It was a quick hike back. Again the beauty of the area was stunning. The towering walls that enclose and home the goblins are large and intimidating. they rise high and are temple-esque. The rock walls conjure up thoughts of strength, beauty, and majesty! The towers aspire toward the heavens and ever protect the valley of the goblins! It is a beautiful sight to see.
After all that, the real adventure lied in our getting to and from the parking lot in my wifes car! We were the only car to visit the park so far that day, and the recently felled snow proved to be a bit of challenge for our car. Right before you get to the parking lot, there is a steep hill to be climbed. It is rarely an obstacle for those travelling in dry conditions, but with the recent snowfall, we almost didn’t make it up the hill! Nevertheless, we did make it too and from that parking lot in the car, and we didn’t even run ourselves off the side of the road! All in all, this trip ended up being a truly amazing adventure!
Though we did not get to hike the mini slot canyons of the North Wash, we did have fun canyoneering in a winter snow storm in the beautiful Valley of the Goblins!
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Don
Josh and I stumbled across this a few years ago, 2008 I think. We had 3 kids and no technical gear with us but always meant to go back and check it out someday. Never knew how deep, or that it had a name. Very cool. Thanks.
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MTN_DUDE
That just sounds like a fun place to go!
Deagol
there is only 1 anchor, a sling off a boulder with rap ring.
clarification: There is only that one spot where you need an anchor (dropping into the chamber).
When I did this, I used a retreivable anchor (the buckle) that did not require pulling the whole length of rope back up through the rap ring as you would normally do. Now I am curious and want to go back and look at my photos, as I think I remember some black marks on the rock that almost looked like rope burn marks or something ….
(I wasn’t able to tell from the video, I think I have pics or vid of it from a different angle that may show this?)
Blake Merrell
I am curious about this retreivable anchor of which you speak
Deagol
(I edited my response to this question to avoid hijacking this thread with discussion of the retrievable anchor seen here.
all related content moved to a new thread under Tech Tips called “The Buckle” )
But here is a pic showing the rope “burn marks” on the anchor for Goblin’s Lair rappel.
Tyler
This place blows my mind. I stumbled upon it back in March of 2008 and had no idea there was a rappel point and exit (let alone a name for it). I remember tossing a rock down it and being freaked out at how deep it sounded (could not see the bottom from where we were). I was also concerned that some kids could come stumbling toward it ahead of their parents and fall in, but it’s so far out in the park that I’m sure the average person isn’t going to get out that far.
Are the anchors natural or bolted?
Blake Merrell
It truly is a beautiful place The anchor is a natural anchor.
Dan Ransom
Chamber of the Basilisk is now up in the betabase, thanks to Scott Patterson
Bill
I love romping around in Goblin Valley in the snow but once is starts melting it can be a real nightmare.
You should add this one to the betabase when you get some time.
Dan Ransom
I believe Scott Patterson is already on it.