6 places in Utah that will make you think you’re on Mars
From the rainbow-colored Bentonite Hills to the alien landscape of Goblin Valley State Park.
How many of these spots in Utah have you seen in person?
1. Bentonite Hills
These rainbow-colored clay formations near the Mars Desert Research Station have blue, red, purple and green bands created by volcanic ash 140 million years ago. The hills have a popcorn-like texture from bentonite clay absorbing rainwater and drying out.
2. Goblin Valley
This state park has thousands of mushroom-shaped sandstone rock formations called goblins that look like creatures from another planet. The hoodoos formed 170 million years ago and are one of Utah’s most alien-looking landscapes.
3. Moonscape Overlook
Near Factory Butte, this cliffside viewpoint overlooks a desolate gray Mancos shale landscape that looks exactly like the moon. 1,400 feet above the Blue Valley with 180 degree views of an otherworldly landscape.
4. Old Paria
This abandoned ghost town sits among multicolored mountain ranges with red, white, purple and bluish-gray rock layers from the Chinle Formation. The banded cliffs and rolling hills make it an extraterrestrial landscape that was a popular filming location for westerns.
5. Factory Butte
This 6,302 foot mesa rises dramatically from the desert floor like a giant monolith. The steep, almost vertical walls and flat top make it look like an alien structure in an otherwise vast open landscape that looks like Mars.
6. Bonneville Salt Flats
This 40 square mile expanse of densely packed white salt is an eerie flat endless surface that goes on forever. The remnant of ancient Lake Bonneville looks like a frozen alien sea and has been used as a stand-in for extraterrestrial terrain in countless movies.
