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Peek-A-Boo & Spooky Slot Canyons

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Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult
 4.8 (53)
  1. Areas
  2. UT
  3. …Southwestern Utah
  4. …Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
  5. Escalante Canyons
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“Amazing, extremely narrow slot canyons in the heart of Utah. ”

Donald Cressman
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Map Key

2.9

Miles

4.6

KM

Lollipop

4,952' 1,509 m

High

4,673' 1,424 m

Low

403' 123 m

Up

404' 123 m

Down

5%

Avg Grade (3°)

24%

Max Grade (14°)

Dogs Off-leash

Features Geological Significance · Views

Family Friendly Kids will absolutely love the natural playground in these canyons, but they must be able to negotiate some rock scrambling safely

One Way Only: This is designated as a directional trail.

Overview

Southern Utah is amassed with unique slot canyon adventures, but its difficult to find ones with narrower passages than the Peek-a-boo and Spooky side canyons of the Dry Fork Coyote Gulch. They are in fact so tight that hike may not be comfortable for claustrophobic or heavyset people. Both canyons get very narrow but Spooky, in particular, might make you suck it in a lot!

Need to Know

Directions: From the junction of Highway 12 and 24 near Torrey, UT, head south on Highway 12 for 58 miles. Turn left on Hole in the Rock Rd (BLM 200) and continue on Hole in the Rock Rd for 25.9 miles. Turn left on BLM 252 and continue to trailhead head parking lot. Note that the latter part of this road can become deeply rutted and impassable for some cars.

Description

These canyons can be explored independently, but given their relatively close proximity to one another, it is easy to link them into a loop adventure. The Dry Fork wash is accessed from a cairn-marked trail, and some rudimentary route finding skills are recommended. After descending in the wash, head east (downstream) to locate the entrances to the side canyons.

You can identify Peek-A-Boo by the stacked rocks and the hand and footholds carved into the sandstone in order to climb up into the canyon. Its entrance is elevated off the ground about 10 feet, so it possible to miss if you aren't watching for it. Use the handholds to clamber up inside. The canyon will proceed through a series of amazing mini-arches before becoming a narrow slot. Roughly 0.25 miles long, this canyon will end in a wide, sandy wash. You could turn around here to backtrack through Peek-a-Boo, but the loop continues overland to the east.

Go up and over the terrain of sandy trail and slickrock for about 0.5 miles. It's not long, but routefinding can be tricky because there's no real trail to follow. Try to stay on solid rock and worn paths to avoid trampling the cryptobiotic soil crusts. Soon you'll make your way into a large wash that leads to the mouth of Spooky, marked with a cairn.

The canyon itself is only 0.25 miles long, but is only 12 inches wide for much of this length. The constricted nature of Spooky can be uncomfortable for some (psychologically or physically) and downright prohibitive for others. It should also be noted that a boulder jam near the north end of Spooky requires climbing and stemming to negotiate passage.

After exiting Spooky look for a cairn straight ahead. You'll continue straight across the wash and make your way back to the entrance of Peek-a-Boo, then back up to the parking lot the same way you came down.

- Additional info contributed by Brent Uhrig, Outdoor Project

Contacts

Land Manager: BLM Utah - Kanab Field Office

Shared By:

Donald Cressman with improvements by Jesse Weber
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.8 from 53 votes

#1

in Escalante Canyons

#163

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  4.8 from 53 votes
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Recommended Route Rankings

#1

in Escalante Canyons

#20

in Utah

#163

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19,189 Since Mar 23, 2015
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Photos

Short climb into Peek-A-Boo
Mar 23, 2015 near Loa, UT
Peekaboo Slot
Apr 11, 2023 near Escalante, UT
Spooky vertical panorama
Mar 23, 2015 near Loa, UT
Spooky Gulch slot canyon.
Aug 13, 2015 near Loa, UT
The colors in Peek-a-boo Gulch are truly breathtaking.
Jun 11, 2017 near Escalante, UT
Lighting in Peek-a-boo Gulch is best in the morning.
Jun 11, 2017 near Escalante, UT

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Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

May 25, 2023
J Rai
Lower Dry Fork Trailhead to Peek-a-Boo Slot Canyon
May 22, 2023
Atsuko Ohtake
Apr 11, 2023
Stewart Carnes
Nov 27, 2022
Rachel Martin
5mi
Sep 26, 2022
Jeff Giesler
Hiked to entrances & gulch
Apr 11, 2022
Mikaela Lidgard
Mar 31, 2022
Emily Wytiaz
Jul 31, 2021
Jordan Hansen

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