One Of Utah's Most Unique Attractions Is A Whimsical Canyon That Looks Like A Sci-Fi Movie Set

Few places in the world look more like an alien planet than Utah. While that may be a slight exaggeration, Utah's landscape largely eschews the normal forests and grasslands for vast, rocky deserts, deep canyons, and some of Earth's most unique rock formations. This distinctive geography makes Utah a popular destination for outdoor adventurers. Visitors to Utah can hike up to an incredible stone arch at Arches National Park, wander through a "forest" of hoodoos at Bryce Canyon, or explore colorful badlands at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. 

But when it comes to otherworldly scenery, one underrated Utah destination may have them all beat. Located about an hour from the city of Vernal in western Utah is a little-known attraction with the appropriate name of Fantasy Canyon. Unlike popular Utah parks, like Arches or Zion, Fantasy Canyon flies under the radar somewhat. Just accessing the canyon's main hiking trail requires navigating a maze of service roads for local oil companies. 

But when you do finally arrive at Fantasy Canyon, you may assume you've accidentally wandered into someone's avant-garde art project. Even if you're used to Utah's one-of-a-kind geology, you may be confounded by the landscape here. Across the canyon, you'll find bizarre rock sculptures molded into complex geometric shapes that look like they were sculpted by human hands. Though the rest of the state is certainly amazing, Fantasy Canyon is the place where Utah's geology went through its abstract expressionist phase.

You're probably wondering how nature could create something so intricate and complex. The answer lies in the region's unique geological history. During the Eocene Epoch about 55 to 34 million years ago, what is now Utah's Uintah County was a large subtropical lake. As the lake dried up, nearby rivers deposited loose sand and silt into the lake's natural sandstone, eventually creating large chunks of different types of rocks blended together. Over time, erosion whittled away the weaker siltstone and shale, leaving the hardier sandstone behind. Since the different types of rocks were mixed, this erosion created the sci-fi sandstone formations in Fantasy Canyon today. 

Though the area was long known to Native Americans, the canyon was not officially documented until 1909, when American paleontologist Earl Douglass published the first known photographs of its amazing rock formations. At the time, Douglass assigned the canyon monikers like "the Devil's Playground" and "Hades Pit." Fortunately, the much less ominous name "Fantasy Canyon" ended up sticking. 

Much like the otherworldly Moonscape Overlook in southern Utah, Fantasy Canyon lets you feel like you've suddenly teleported to another planet. If you can get used to the canyon's sci-fi vibes, be sure to look out for its most notable rock formations, like Alien Head, The Flying Witch, and The Screaming Man. Of course, if you think the rocks look like something else, that's fine too! After all, Fantasy Canyon is the place to let your imagination run wild. 

With its out-of-this-world geology, Fantasy Canyon is a perfect side quest during Utah's "Mighty 5" national parks road trip. But you can also visit the canyon on a single-day trip from Salt Lake City or nearby Colorado. The canyon itself sits on a humble, 10-acre site overseen by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Before heading out, stop by the Bureau's Green River District Office in Vernal to get directions and a map. Given the nature of the roads, it's also a good idea to have a high-clearance vehicle. 

Once you've navigated the dirt roads and oil fields, the hike through the canyon is much less convoluted. The half-mile Fantasy Canyon Loop Trail can be completed in as little as 15 minutes (though you'll probably want to spend a bit more time ogling the scenery). However long you end up staying, make sure you only look, but don't touch. Unfortunately, Fantasy Canyon has the nickname "Nature's China Shop" for a reason. 

Like all great works of art, the canyon's sandstone formations are as fragile as they are beautiful. Visitors that get too handsy can easily damage or destroy many of the canyon's most unique rock formations. Tragically, this already came to pass in 2006, when a prominent formation known as the Teapot shattered due to unknown causes. To protect the canyon's remaining treasures, act as you would on a literal alien planet and keep a safe distance.