• Facebook LinkedIn Shares This was actually our last adventure while staying in Escalante. My last post was so long that I decided to keep this hike separate. This was a lot of fun! The long, dirt road leading to these slot canyons was not far from our campground. We did have to travel over Read more Peekaboo and Spooky Slot Canyons Hike: 10/12/18.
• Spooky Gulch, located near Escalante, Utah, is a short slot canyon hike near the Grand Staircase National Monument. There are parts of the slot canyon that are so narrow, you may wonder if you can make it through. You most likely can but that tight fit may be a little 'spooky'. If you are claustrophobic or unable to make it through tight spaces, hikers have the option of hiking above the slot.
• Explore 2 slot canyons in 1 hike. There is a little scrambling and climbing on this 3.5 mile loop. This hike is located in the Grand-Staircase-Escalante Monument and the nearest town is Escalante, Utah. From Escalante, you take Hole-in-the-Rock Road 26 miles to the Dry Fork road turn-off.

One of our favorite hikes during our Sept/Oct 2020 road trip was Peek-a-Boo and Spooky Slot Canyons near Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in Utah. This hike is actually quite an adventure! Peek-a-Boo and Spooky slot canyons are located in The BLM (Bureau of Land Management) area alongside Escalante. Spooky Gulch is a short slot canyon hike in the Grand Staircase-Escalante area, located on the Hole-in-the-Rock Road, 26 miles south of the town of Escalante. 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.

Route Description

The Spooky Canyon slot forms just a few feet from the fence at the edge of the highway.The lower end contains a few trees, bushes and flowers such as rush milkweed, but most is entirely free of vegetation. A very short, twisty side slot joins from the north, soon after which the main branch narrows further, and is wider in some places below, due to undercutting, hence some short stretches are rather dark. More narrows are followed by a brief wider stretch where a sloping gully joins from the left (usable as an entry/exit route), before the start of the deepest section. A twisting side crack appears on the north side, below a natural bridge, and leads to the best part of the slot, deep and enclosed, with overhanging rocks at the top and nicely eroded walls at either side. The confined passageway soon ends at the base of a high pour-off. The main canyon eventually has a dryfall of about ten feet, easily climbed since the protruding pebbles in the conglomerate rock are firmly embedded, and act as footholds. Soon after is a taller drop, less easily climbed, but this marks the upper end of the slot and there doesn't appear to be anything of interest beyond.
3.5 miles - Loop Trail

Added by Rebecca Stubbs

Spooky Slot Canyon Hike South Rim

Explore 2 slot canyons in 1 hike. There is a little scrambling and climbing on this 3.5 mile loop.

This hike is located in the Grand-Staircase-Escalante Monument and the nearest town is Escalante, Utah. From Escalante, you take Hole-in-the-Rock Road 26 miles to the Dry Fork road turn-off. The Hole-in-the-Rock road It is a dirt road, and while I did see some sedans and minivans, I suggest a vehicle with higher clearance/ 4-wheel drive. If you do not have a high clearance vehicle, it will just add an extra mile or so each way onto your hike because you will not be able go that last mile after you turn off the Hole-in-the-Rock Road.

This adventure is great because you get to explore 2 stunning slot canyons in one hike! It is a 3.5 mile loop so you go up one canyon and down the other. I highly suggest going up Peek-a-boo and then down Spooky. The obstacles in these canyons are easier when done in this direction. These canyons provide a great introduction to canyoneering. They are not too technical as there is no need for ropes. Pools of water are a possibility, however it was dry when I was there in May even with rain the day before. There will be some scrambling/climbing required and places where you need to take off your pack and turn sideways in order to fit through narrow passages. If you are claustrophobic this hike would not be for you!

From the parking lot there is a 3/4 mile hike across slick rock and sand to descend into the wash where the canyons are located. The trail will lead you straight to the start of peekaboo canyon which begins with a 15ish foot wall with hand/foot holes to get you up into the canyon. After that you follow the canyon up to the top, follow the cairns across the plateau for about 1/2 mile and you will be led right to the top of spooky canyon. Then you just go down this canyon, follow the wash back to the start of peek-a-boo and then follow the same trail that you came in on back to the parking lot.

The loop hike takes around 3 hours for the average hiker. If you really wanted to, you could do one without the other, just go up one and back down, but the canyons are so drastically different from each other, I highly recommend doing the loop and seeing both of them! Peek-a-boo is smooth sandstone with arches, and large 'bowls' that you have to climb up and over whereas Spooky is narrow, with an area of rock falls that you need to 'chimney down' and the walls are very bumpy.

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Reviews

Martin Petranov

4 months ago

Very helpful

Thank you for the nice and detailed description of the trail !

5.0

Madison Sankovitz

Explorer

🥇Top Contributor

over 2 years ago

Beautiful

Exploring two slot canyons in one hike was cool. I scrambled and climbed a little bit on this 3.5-mile loop.

5.0

Matt Purciel

Explorer

🥈 Contributor

about 4 years ago

Spooky Slot Canyon Hike Pass

Great hike!

Both of these slot canyon are worth exploring and each have their own characteristics! But we had a little trouble finding Peekaboo and ended up at Spooky first. To do the loop make sure to head left/down right after the trail starts! We ended up following the cairns straight and ended up in a wash farther down the canyon. I would also recommend searching for the GPS coordinates so you don't miss the entrances.

5.0

John Maurizi

Explorer

🥇Top Contributor

Spooky Slot Canyon Hike Trail

about 4 years ago

Bypass the 15 foot wall to enter Peek-A-Boo!

Many people avoid entering Peek-A-Boo slot canyon because of the daunting 15 foot vertical wall that must be climbed to get into the slot, or water in front of of the wall. Rightly so! With no rock climbing experience, this can be a frightening and dangerous venture. My last trip I found a solution to avoid the wall! Facing the wall, look to the left. There is a sand dune that runs along the side of the wall. You will see an unmarked social trail ascending the sand dune and appears to wander away from the slot. Continue following this social trail until you are at a high point and can see a trail leading back toward the direction of the slot canyon. The trail is marked with cairns above the sand dune. This will lead directly back to the slot at a point that is easily down climbed. Once in the slot you can explore to the right which leads back to the wall you by-passed. That direction has several potholes, usually filled with water and several small arches stretching over the slot. To the left, the slot is easier with hardly any climbing and not very deep. You eventually exit the slot after a short distance.

5.0

Jake Thurman

over 4 years ago

Awesome!!!

Great hike!!! First time hiking in slot canyons and I loved it!! Incredibly beautiful and not difficult at all. Would absolutely do again! If you're in Escalante this is s must do!!!

5.0

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