I would recommend up each slot and then coming back down each slot. Bring more water than you think you’ll need, and check the weather before you head out. Make sure you follow the rock cairns (the stacked piles of stones). I am 6’1, 175lbs, and it was a VERY tight squeeze for me in some parts. If you think you may get stuck, don’t risk it. So, that’s why it’s called Peek-A-Boo Gulch! When I hiked through Brimstone is was about 90 degrees outside, however, once inside the slot canyon, temperatures dropped into the the upper 40’s, and was extremely dark and wet. Lots of Water. Another couple determined the same thing and we both turned around and followed the canyon along the top to the wash. Always let people know where you are beforehand. You might be able to crouch down and slide through the lower part of the slot canyon. He was alive, but very dehydrated and cold. Comment below! Brimstone Gulch may be one of the darkest slots you’ll find. Unlike many of the Escalante-area slot canyons, Peek-a-Boo and Spooky Gulch require zero technical gear or know-how—although it requires some navigational and rock-scrambling skill. Cheers, Julie. The left fork then heads in a northwest direction for one mile, which will end at parking area which can fit about 12-15 cars. Horses are also able to use this trail. Fortunately, my husband boosted me up (I’m 5’3.5″) and we were able to navigate our way through with no issues. As you head to the back of Spooky Gulch, the canyon gets narrower and narrower and narrower. The hole in the rock road has a lot of washboard but no clearance or other problem areas. If you want to find things to do in the area, you might want to stop in and see Moqui Cave and Best Friends Animal Society. Elevation at Spooky Gulch – 4640 feet I can’t imagine two way traffic in this extremely narrow space! If you are in a car or low-clearance vehicle, park at the first parking area (.7 miles down the Dry Fork access road). This eliminates two-way traffic through Spooky Slot to minimize traffic jams and face-to-face exposure. From Escalante, Utah, take the main road, Highway 12, east through Escalante. 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. The parking is graveled out nicely so it is passable by all vehicles. If you want to make one loop, I recommend starting with Peek-A-Boo and ending with Spooky, Planning a trip through the United States? If doing this in conjunction with the peek-a-boo canyon, I recommend doing that one first and hike the route clockwise. Peek-A-Boo, Spooky, and Brimstone Gulch are three of the best little cracks in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Brimstone Gulch is one of the darkest slots found in the Escalante area. The Peek-a-boo hike can be combined with hiking Spooky Gulch and turn the hike into a longer loop. Once you leave the slot, it’s about a 2.6 mile hike from the narrow part of Brimstone back to the trailhead at the parking lot. To the left is the Dry Fork Narrows. ), in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited. The only time you will be out of the sun is the short amount of time you are in Spooky Gulch. Always let people know where you are beforehand. Hi! Turn left off of Hwy 12 here. Upper or Lower Antelope Canyon: Which One Should You Choose? One of the things that you must know is that these are some of the tightest slot canyons you’ll find, especially Spooky and Brimstone Gulch. Located Right ac. I found and overland route from Peek-a-Boo canyon's exit to the entrance of Spooky Canyon at Dry Gulch. If you are claustrophobic, consider skipping Spooky Gulch. A short rope for a handline may be useful for beginners. There really is no way to describe how incredible it is without seeing it first-hand. Spooky is well-named and pretty famous for how dark it gets when deep in a slot, and for the panic-inspiring quality of its extremely narrow walls. Take your pick from 50 of the world's best travel adventures. Dry Fork Coyote Gulch runs generally runs southeast, which runs from left to right as you look out above from the parking area. It can take up to 30 minutes to hike this slot canyon out and back, depending on how far you go. Print for free, Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument, Peek-A-Boo Gulch, Spooky Gulch, Brimstone Gulch, and Dry Fork Narrows, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), National Park Adventures for Scouts: Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument | Voice of Scouting. There may pools of nasty, stagnant water at each of these sections, something you definitely want to stay away from if you don’t want to walk around in soggy hiking shoes for the rest of the day. Read all of our articles in our United States Destination Guide. A short slot canyon in the Dry Fork area of the Grand Staircase-Escalante area, the Peek-a-boo Gulch area is famous for its last one hundred meters. From here, you will have to walk 1 mile to the trailhead. It was dark, a … Upon climbing into Peek-A-Boo, you will come across to small potholes that I’ve found filled with water each time I’ve gone. If doing this in conjunction with the Spooky slot, I recommend doing this first and complete the loop clockwise. Amount of water recommended – 2-3 liters I agree with a recent comment about the road condition. Do you have any advice for our readers? Important Note:  In 2020, several of our readers have reported that Hole-in-the-Rock Road is very rough and difficult to drive in a standard car. Hello Kerry. Hello Mari. BLM recommends 4 liters of water per person. However, if you are short on time or like the idea of doing one big loop, consider linking them together. If it’s only 10 in at its narrowest (another person said it was 12 in ) and I’m about 15 to 16 inches at my widest, will I get stuck for sure or is there a way I can be pushed / pulled through its narrowest parts? However, Peek-a-Boo may not be the easiest canyon to spot because it actually begins about 10 feet (3 m) up on the rock face. Dry Fork Narrows, Peekaboo and Spooky Slot Canyons is a 6.1 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Kanab, Utah that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as difficult. As you continue in farther into the slot, the walls will tighten up to the point that you will leave the slot and continue down the the walls will become more shallow and you’ll find that you’ll exit the slot, walk along the top of Peek-A-Boo, and then drop back into the slot until it ends in a sandy wash. If you are claustrophobic, do not even attempt this part of the hike. I’m 5 ft 3 in tall. If you’re up for the challenge, these two slot canyons are tons of fun. Where is Peek-A-Boo Gulch? Distance – 4.8 miles round trip Peekaboo Gulch is a small drainage - for the most part just a sandy wash, it eventually enters a half mile narrows section, very twisting and convoluted though only a few meters deep. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The trailhead is just north of the parking area, and it overlooks much of the trail you’ll take down into the Dry Fork Coyote Gulch which accesses all three slot canyons, and also Dry Fork Narrows. Each new bend in the slot canyon makes for new colors and textures. Required fields are marked *. Happy hiking and happy travels! Elevation at Brimstone Gulch – 4580 feet Pingback: National Park Adventures for Scouts: Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument | Voice of Scouting, Don't forget to pack these essential items! If you are looking for a slot canyon adventure, or perhaps putting together a bucket list of “must-see” places, these should be near the top. Happy travels to wherever you go next! Save Enjoy the Fresh air and Beautiful Views From the Sunroom of This pet Friendly Home! We had 4×4 and made it just fine, but the condition is pretty rough right now. We ran into a couple who were heading back to the trailhead and were a little concerned when the woman said she was unable to climb into the entrance of the Peek-a-Boo slot canyon. These three slot canyons are nicely lined up in a neat row, which allows the hiking enthusiast to hike through all three in one afternoon. After exiting, hiking east for half a mile until you reach the wide streambed above Spooky Gulch. In both Spooky Gulch and later in Brimstone Gulch, debris wedged 20 feet above my head could be seen, left behind by a previous flash flood. Of all the slot canyons described in this post, Dry Fork Narrows is the widest, and is quite long, however, I find it as the least amazing of the four slot canyons. Plus, they are both very short (only about a quarter mile long) so it doesn’t add much time to retrace your steps. Hiking Peek-a-Boo and Spooky slot canyons is basically a loop between the two canyons. Two very unique slot canyons Peek-a-Book gets its name from the many natural bridges overhead, and Spooky is so-named for its dark, almost cave-like feel. As an instructor for Desert and Wilderness Survival, and for Leave No Trace camping practices, he shares his passion and respect for the outdoors to all. Our website uses cookies. The same could not be said for Spooky, where we encountered the dryfall of rock. That’s how these formed in the first place. I hope you have a great time wherever you are headed next. Flash floods have carved out incredible twists in Spooky Gulch, One of the more narrow parts of Spooky Gulch, As you get deeper into the slots, you notice how the texture of the canyon walls vary. Elevation at the trailhead – 4960 feet Important Update for 2020: One of our readers informed us that the trail can only be hiked in a clockwise direction (read the comments below for more information). In the town of Escalante, turn onto Hole-in-the-Rock Road and reset your odometer. Thank you so much for sharing them with us and with our readers! There are dozens of other slot canyons and amazing rock formations, so if you have the time, I would recommend spending a couple of days down there at least. We did Spooky and Peek-a-Boo yesterday Sept 22, 2020. Do your homework before attempting this one. They have changed the parking and start of the trail. Peek-A-Boo is a slot and corkscrew, and Spooky Gulch is a narrow slot canyon. Needless to say.. the hike and the canyons are absolutely stunning and 100% worth the 52 mile round-trip drive on unpaved road plus the 5.5 mile hike. If doing this in conjunction with the peek-a-boo canyon, I recommend doing that one first and hike the route clockwise. Its entrance is elevated off the ground about 10 feet, so it possible to miss if you aren't watching for it. We just did the Peek-a-Boo and Spooky canyons yesterday and had a phenomenal time. They do have a sign saying you should go up picaboo and down spooky. Most commonly, people go up Peek-a-Boo and down Spooky (clockwise). Absolutely amazing! The trail is primarily used for hiking and is best used from May until November. This is another slot canyon but it is much wider that Spooky Gulch and rather unexciting after Peek-A-Boo Gulch. Getting here can be a mini-adventure, driving over 25 miles down a rough, dirt road through dry desert landscapes. About how many feet long are the narrowest sections? It’s more fun that way, you’ll notice new things you didn’t see the first time. Peek-a-boo Gulch is located in the scenic Grand Staircase National Monument near Escalante, Utah and adjacent to Spooky Gulch. There should be a sign after a curve to the right that says Hole in the Rock Road. Now with that said… do make sure that it WILL NOT RAIN, otherwise you will be in big trouble as the sandy parts would quickly become muddy and unpassable with a sedan. This is very challenging to climb. It’s very similar and just a few hours away. The only difficult part is having to climb up into Peek-a-Boo. Season to hike – can be hiked all year long, avoid during July through August due to extreme heat and flash floods I wanted to make sure that other readers and travelers know that the road is definitely not as scary as (in my opinion) others make it sound. If you like this hike, you’ll LOVE Little Wild Horse Canyon, which is in Utah, between Capitol Reef National Park and Moab. It is worth noting, due to the restrictive nature of the some of the spaces in Spooky, this … Get the lowest price guaranteed - Save & Book Today! From this point,  just turn around and return the way you came, and enjoy Spooky Gulch some more! The trail is about a mile longer than it used to be due to the new parking area. At the bottom turn right, and find Peek-a-boo coming in 4 minutes down the canyon on the left. There is one boulder choke obstacle in the Spooky slot and no rope to assist when I went (Nov 2020). It is not to be confused with Red Slot Canyon AKA Peekaboo. Facts About the Hike. As you follow the trail down from the trailhead, the path will be marked with cairns as you cross over the slickrock and sand, and after about 20 minutes of easy downhill walking you’ll find yourself down in the Dry Fork Coyote wash. Look off to the left, and you’ll see the entrance of Dry Fork Narrows. This is the real deal. If you decide to continue down to Brimstone Gulch it will be about a 30 minute walk from Spooky Gulch. With the sections of rock scrambling, this one was just a little more challenging and fun for me. Absolutely, but be smart about it. It is beautiful in here, and it’s also a lot cooler than in the sunny Dry Fork canyon. Walking Spooky Gulch was like being underground. You can climb it and continue on or turn around here and retrace your steps. 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