- Kanab's Peek-a-Book Canyon is an awesome slot canyon that's easy to hike too and not as crowded as other in major parks. En route to the canyon, you'll enjoy an exciting off-roading adventure while getting to the canyon.
- 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. Enjoy the journey through Peek-A-Boo. Once you exit Peek-A-Boo, again, follow the cairns east where you'll eventually make your way into a large wash. The wash (and cairns) will lead you to the mouth of Spooky.
Peek-a-Boo and Spooky Slot Canyons are a perfect solution. Situated at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Peek-a-Boo and Spooky are considered to be among the best slot canyons in Utah and possibly the world. Everyone in the family can visit the slot canyon and enjoy the view, but there are precautions that you need to keep in mind. One of the most spectacular slot canyon hikes in the entire world is in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This is actually two separate slots combined into one hike. The first is called Peek-a-Boo and the second is called Spooky. The trailhead for these slot canyons is found 26 bumpy miles out Hole-in-the-Rock Road. A Spooky Scare At Spooky Gulch and Peekaboo Slot Canyons Utah A few years ago, I was a fresh-faced adventurer taking on the wild west for the first time. Not too far off from a Filipino Alexander Supertramp, I sought to conquer the great outdoors while being entirely unprepared to do so.
On most Southern Utah bucket lists, you’ll find the local favorite one-two punch of Peek-a-Boo and Spooky Slot Canyons. These magnificent hikes, located in the Dry Fork area of the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument area, can be done individually, but they make for a killer loop you can tackle in one afternoon of adventure. Once you’re in, all you have to do is walk through a scenic paradise of red and purple rock.
From the trailhead, get into Dry Fork Wash via moderate scrambling down some short cliffs and following cairns as needed. Once you’re off the cliff and into the sand dunes, you’ll hike along the creek wash until you see the mouth of Peek-a-Boo. There are hand and foot cut-outs in the rock to help you get up and into the canyon.
Once you leave Peek-a-Boo, keep hiking (longer than you think you should, most likely) until you come to a juniper tree, then follow the trail and cairns leading to the right and the entrance of Spooky Gulch. Scramble down a mellow rock face to get into the canyon. It soon tightens up, and you’ll be having a good time navigating the confines of this fun canyon. The loop generally takes about 3-4 hours depending on pace and skill level.
From the trailhead, get into Dry Fork Wash via moderate scrambling down some short cliffs and following cairns as needed. Once you’re off the cliff and into the sand dunes, you’ll hike along the creek wash until you see the mouth of Peek-a-Boo. There are hand and foot cut-outs in the rock to help you get up and into the canyon.
Once you leave Peek-a-Boo, keep hiking (longer than you think you should, most likely) until you come to a juniper tree, then follow the trail and cairns leading to the right and the entrance of Spooky Gulch. Scramble down a mellow rock face to get into the canyon. It soon tightens up, and you’ll be having a good time navigating the confines of this fun canyon. The loop generally takes about 3-4 hours depending on pace and skill level.
*Recommended guides:
The Wildland Trekking Company →
Utah Slickrock Guides →
Trail Head: 37.466336, -111.223912
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 2 miles roundtrip
Peek-a-boo Gulch is a short slot canyon in the Dry Fork area of the Grand Staircase- Escalante area, located on the Hole-in-the-Rock Road, 26 miles south of the town of Escalante. Peek-a-boo is not very long, or physically demanding, but it requires some navigational and rock-scrambling skill in order to get through its twists and chutes.
In order to reach Peek-a-boo Gulch, visitors should drive the 26 miles down the Hole-in-the-Rock Road off of Highway 12, until they find the Dry Fork Road, heading northeast into the desert. The Dry Fork turnoff branches after only a few hundred yards, and visitors need to stay left in order to reach the Dry Fork overlook.
Peek-a-boo can be combined with Spooky Gulch to make a fun loop hike. The recommended route is to actually take Peek-a-boo Gulch first, scrambling north up through its depths, and upon exiting, hiking overland to the east for half a mile until the wide streambed above Spooky Gulch is reached. From there, follow Spooky back down to Dry Fork, and then hike back to the overlook. The total loop route is about 3.5 miles long.
Dry Fork Turnoff
(37.466336, -111.223912) The entire route from Highway 12 is an extremely rugged washboard road with sand traps and the occasional rut. Though vans and cars can tackle the route, a four-wheel drive vehicle with decent suspension is recommended.
Dry Fork Overlook
(37.476527, -111.220234) There is a parking lot at the end of the Dry Fork road, beside an overlook that sits 300 feet above the canyon systems below it. From this vantage point, visitors can see the rock formations that hide Spooky and Peekaboo Gulches.
Dry Fork
Peekaboo And Spooky Slot Canyon Map Location
(37.481171, -111.217935)A short climb from the overlook takes hikers down a winding path along the slopes and boulders of the cliff, and into the sandy bottom of Dry Fork below. Immediately ahead is Peek-a-boo Gulch, heading north. Spooky Gulch is farther down the dry creek bed to the east, and the Dry Fork itself continues west.
Peek-a-boo Gulch Trailhead
(37.481407, -111.216655) Though not nearly as long, deep, or narrow as Spooky Gulch, Peek-a-boo has its own unique challenges and thrills. Right off the bat, as visitors begin the trail from the bottom of Dry Fork, they will note the steps carved into the wall that they must climb in order to reach the slot canyon. At the top of the steps, they will find a pothole that is generally full of water year-round, which can be circumvented without getting wet by those smart and agile enough.
End of the Gulch
(37.485367, -111.216729) The Peek-a-boo route eventually climbs up out of the slot canyon, and onto the high ground above. From there, hikers can turn right around and head back the way they came, or they can head overland to the south until they hit Spooky Gulch and continue with phase two of the adventure.
Peekaboo And Spooky Slot Canyon Map Directions
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