Utah’s Otherworldly Landscapes

Hanksville, Utah: A Tiny Town at the Center of Otherworldly Landscapes

Tucked away in the rugged heart of southern Utah, Hanksville may be small—population 276, with a couple of burger spots, a steakhouse, and two gas stations—but its central location makes it the perfect base camp for exploring landscapes so surreal they seem borrowed from another galaxy. Here, the desert transforms into a living movie set: red clay hills ripple like the surface of Mars, spires rise like monuments from a forgotten world, and vast gray valleys stretch into the horizon like a lunar plain. Whether you’re an adventurer, a photographer chasing the perfect shot, or simply someone who loves to let imagination wander, Hanksville is where Earth and the cosmos blur.

These places are so unusual that words and photos alone can’t capture their full wonder—click on each video below as we explore these extraordinary destinations and experience the magic.

Utah’s Red Planet: The Bentonite Hills

Just outside Hanksville, the Bentonite Hills are a surreal spectacle of red, purple, gray, and white clay that seem to swirl and shift under the sun. Known as “Utah’s Red Planet,” this landscape is the home to the Mars Desert Research Station. In the video Utah’s Red Planet: Exploring the Otherworldly Bentonite Hills, we venture into these barren, alien hills to discover how ancient clay deposits shaped this landscape, why life struggles to take hold here, and why adventurers keep returning to capture its unearthly beauty.

Goblin Valley: Epsilon Gorniar II

Travel just west of Hanksville, and you’ll encounter Goblin Valley State Park, a place so strange it feels like stepping into another world. Millions of years of erosion have sculpted hoodoos resembling towers, faces, and mushroom-shaped figures, as if the land itself is alive. The park famously appeared in Galaxy Quest as the alien planet Epsilon Gorniar II. In Goblin Valley: The Alien Landscape of Southern Utah, we explore the quiet, whimsical valley, wandering among formations that could belong equally to Middle-earth or a faraway galaxy.

Hidden Blue Valley and the Dark Spire

East of Hanksville lies Blue Valley, a remote desert badlands with a solitary sandstone tower known as The Dark Spire (also called the Silver Spire). Surrounded by blue bentonite clay and towering canyon walls, it’s a scene straight out of a Star Wars desert world. In Hidden Blue Valley Looks Like Another Planet!, we traverse this off-the-beaten-path wonder, marveling at the spire’s stark beauty and the vast, untamed wilderness that surrounds it. For fans of Utah’s Mighty 5 or hidden desert gems, this video offers an unforgettable peek into one of the region’s most mysterious landscapes.

Moonscape Overlook: A Lunar Plain on Earth

Finally, Moonscape Overlook delivers a perspective that feels truly extraterrestrial. Standing on the edge of a barren plateau overlooking Blue Valley, you’ll see ridges and gullies shifting in shades of gray, blue, and red with the changing light. In Exploring Moonscape Overlook Utah’s Lunar Landscape Near Hanksville UT, Teresa guides viewers across this stark, uninhabited expanse, evoking the sensation of gazing across a lunar plain—or perhaps a distant, uncharted planet.

Ready to Explore?

Whether you’re planning a Utah road trip, a photography expedition, or just love otherworldly scenery, these videos showcase the desert’s most alien landscapes.

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