| Mollys Castle | |
| Elevation Ft: | 5265 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] |
| Prominence Ft: | 365 |
| Isolation Mi: | 2.08 |
| Parent Peak: | Wild Horse Butte (5,760 ft |
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Mollys Castle is a remote 5,265-foot (1,605-meter) elevation summit located near Goblin Valley State Park, in Emery County, Utah.[2] Mollys Castle is situated 2.3miles east of Wild Horse Butte, and one-half mile outside the park's east boundary. The top of this magnificent butte rises 265 feet above its surrounding terrain.[3] Precipitation runoff from Mollys Castle enters the Colorado River drainage basin.
Mollys Castle is a geological feature set within the San Rafael Desert on the southeastern edge of the San Rafael Swell. This erosional remnant is composed of Jurassic rock. The thin, light-colored layer on top is Curtis Formation caprock, overlaying darker, reddish Entrada Sandstone, which is also the composition of the hoodoos that give Goblin Valley its name.[4] [5]
Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Mollys Castle. According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a Cold semi-arid climate zone, which is defined by the coldest month having an average mean temperature below −0 °C (32 °F) and at least 50% of the total annual precipitation being received during the spring and summer.[6] This desert climate receives less than 10inches of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.