Little Egypt Geological Site ~ Utah

​Little Egypt definitely is a majestic place that is well worth checking out when touring the many destinations near Hanksville, Utah. Hanksville is the one and only town that offers modern amenities in this entire region. This town is also the only option for fueling up, which is important to remember, so the lengthy dirt road backcountry excursions can pan out successfully. Just to provide an inkling of how much desolate backcountry there is to explore around Hanksville, the neighboring destinations include the San Rafael Reef Wilderness, Factory Butte Recreation Area, the Orange Cliffs of Glen Canyon NRA and of course, all points of interest in the Canyonlands Maze District. Goblin Valley State Park is also in this neighborhood and there is one such spot in the Henry Mountains BLM wilderness that offers a similar array of mesmerizing hoodoos to view. The Little Egypt Geological Site is the spot on the map to look for and this unique scenic area is only about 20 miles east of Hanksville on Utah Highway 95.

The dirt road to Little Egypt is fairly easy to find and this landmark will come into view after a short drive over the bumpy trail. A high ground clearance vehicle is recommended and a 4x4 will provide many more options for exploring destinations further into the Henry Mountains. Near the Little Egypt BLM signage is a bare dirt parking area, which is within walking distance to the strange looking hoodoos. The foot trails meander all over the bare bedrock, but getting lost will not be a problem because the Little Egypt hoodoos are contained in a relatively small area.

The same environmental conditions that created the thousands of hoodoos in Goblin Valley influenced the shaping of Little Egypt, but all it takes is one look to see a difference. Bands of ancient hard white clay are layered in the red clay sandstone strata, which creates a captivating visual effect. With the towering Henry Mountains in the background, Little Egypt certainly is a beautiful place to be and hours can be spent wandering around the odd shaped hoodoos. Landscape artists will simply fall in love with this place and the early morning light is best for photographers, since the mountains hide the setting sun. Little Egypt may not cover a lot of ground, but this lesser known scenic area definitely is worth adding to the list when planning a tour of the amazing destinations surrounding Hanksville!