Spooky Gulch Slot Canyons Utah

Peek-A-Boo Gulch, Spooky Gulch, Brimstone Gulch, and Dry Fork Narrows Located along Hole in the Rock Road just southeast of Escalante, Utah, are some of the finest slot canyons in the world. Peek-A-Boo, Spooky, and Brimstone gulches, are just three of the dozens found off of Hole in the Rock Road. 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.

*Recommended guides:
The Wildland Trekking Company →
Utah Slickrock Guides →

Our trip through 2 amazing slot canyons of Southern Utah. Spooky Gulch & Reflection Canyon. Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument. March 16, 2017 - Duration: 5:11. Nicole Reynolds entering the slot canyon, Spooky Gulch, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah Feb. 15, 2014 Photo by Drew Allred, St.

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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Spooky & Peekaboo are the most popular slot canyons in the Escalante area. The access is easy, you can easily do both as a loop in a few hours, and hikers without technical canyoneering equipment or skills can enjoy both. Spooky slot canyon is one of the narrowest canyons in the world that hikers can safely navigate. It’s much longer and slimmer than Peekaboo, forcing hikers to carry daypacks to the side as you shuffle through. Add in a few short obstacles and one 5 ft scramble to make it that much more fun. Claustrophobic people will have a hard time with this Spooky.

Peekaboo slot canyon is shorter and shallow compared to Spooky, but still offers views of amazing twisting and turning canyon walls. It’s best to do these canyons as a loop hike, rather than hike up and back, then up and back the other. The best route, in my opinion, is to hike up Spooky first, cross over, then drop down Peekaboo (clounterclockwise direction). The reason I say this is because it’s easier to drop down a 15 ft dryfall rather than hike up it. The obstacles in Spooky are much easier to manuever by hiking up as well.

If it’s rained recently, you will find pools of water in both canyons, but their floors are typically dry and sandy. If there’s even a slight chance of rain, stay away. Slot canyons can instantly become flashflood death zones. Both slots are brightest during mid-day, so if you are looking to do some photography start around 11am. The downside to this is that you may encounter many more hikers wanting to continue through. Start early to beat the heat and the other hikers.

Here is a driving map From Escalante, UT.

From Escalante, head East on HWY 12, then turn south for Hole in The Rock Rd (HITR). Reset your odometer and drive 26 miles down the well-graded dirt road. Turn left at the signed “Dry Fork TH” (also Co Rd 252), then drive 1.7 miles to the end of the road. This road can be very rutted out, so if needed, you can park at the first parking lot about 1/2 mile on that same turn off, then walk the rest of the way to the TH.

Distance: 4.5 RT (loop)

Elevation gain: 673 ft

Time: 2-4 hours

Dog friendly? Yes, off leash but read advisory below

Kid friendly? Yes, but read advisory below

Fees/Permits? None

Can I bring my dog here?

Though dogs are allowed off leash, and we brought ours along, I wouldn’t recommend taking dogs here. Spooky slot canyon is very narrow, only 12 inches at its widest. There are also several obstacles they need assistance with – the hardest being a 5 ft scramble up to another boulder hop. Then on the way down out from PeekaBoo slot canyon, they need help getting down a 15 ft dryfall. Dogs over 70-75 pounds will definitely not fit through the Spooky Slot Canyon.

If you still want to bring your dog, make sure they wear a dog harness to help pull them over obstacles and to lower them down the 15 ft drop. You don’t need ropes persay, but definitely 2-3 other people helping you and your dog out.

Is this a good hike for kids?

Kids who are comfortable with tight spaces and scrambling will have fun and do well. They will need help up the 5 ft scramble, and getting down the 15 ft dryfall.

Another option for both dogs and kids is to only hike into the canyon where you feel comfortable, then turn around. However, if you go during high tourist season (March-October), there will be few options for turning around where you won’t run into others trying to hike up the slot.

What should I bring?

Only bring one backpack per group of hikers – Spooky Canyon is too narrow to fit you and your backpack. There were 4 of us in our group plus the dogs, and we were able to share a pack with all of our snacks and 3 liters of water. The hike is only 4.5 miles RT so you don’t need a ton of gear. The simpler & lighter you go, the easier it will be getting through the canyon. Also don’t wear your “nice” hiking clothes – the canyon walls will scrape your clothes and they can get torn. Dress in layers – even in January we were down to tank tops when popped out of the canyon into the sun.

As you apporach the TH and parking area, you’ll see this nice new sign.

The trail starts in the NE corner of the lot.

Follow the large cairns to get to the base of Dry Fork Canyon.

Spooky Gulch Slot Canyons Utah Real Estate

You’ll hike through sand and slickrock, as you keep descending.

Once in the canyon, pass the entrance to Peekaboo on your left, then continuing following the trail to the entrance of Spooky.

Our “spooked” faces as we enter Spooky Slot Canyon!

Making our way into the canyon!

Charlie leads us into the darkness.

And now you can see how tight the canyon is! Charlie is 70 lbs and barely scrapes through.

Getting tighter! See all those little bumps on the canyon walls? They will tear your clothes easily.

Fun photo spot with the pups. From left to right:

Polly, Springer Spaniel

Mac, Springer Spaniel

Charlie, my Golden Lab

Copper, a Blue Tick Coonhound

Spooky Gulch Slot Canyon Utah Images

Sometimes the canyon is even too narrow for feet to fit comfortably.

A rare sighting of Charlie smiling! He loves slot canyons.

Yeah, it’s that narrow!

Towards the end of Spooky, you’ll reach the 5 ft scramble. You have to kind of chimney your feet up – the boulder where he is gripping has two really good hand holds to pull up.

Make your way over some really small boulders, and then you’ll exit Spooky.

As soon as you get out of Spooky, look for the trail to the left. This is your trail to loop over to Peekaboo.

Loving this tank top weather in January! PS I’m loving my new shades from Nectar – check them out on Amazon!

Keep following the cairns as it leads you to the East side of Peekaboo.

Follow the slot canyon to the west as you enter Peekaboo.

@Ihaveathingfordogs scopes out our route.

Watch out dogs, Mama is coming down!

Finally the canyon opens again, and you now have the iconic view of Peekaboo slot canyon.

Start to drop down, as you make your way to the exit.

Spooky Gulch Slot Canyons Utah Map

The exit for Peekaboo (you should have passed this on your way to Spooky when you started the hike). This is about a 15 ft dryfall – the hardest part for helping the dogs get out of the canyon.

Spooky Gulch Slot Canyons Utah Resort

Same spot in Peekaboo, but my point of view!

Overall the dogs did great, but it was stressful at times. There’s no way I could have helped Charlie over the obstacles by myself. It really helped to have a harness and 3 other people to help me get him up and over tough spots. Copper was the hardest to help, since we weighs the most at about 80 lbs and has the largest girth. He also tore a nail and split his dew claw (poor guy!).

You can see my GPS went a little crazy in the slots, but it shows the general direction. You can also cut over to Spooky faster by skipping the rounded section, and following the brown post sign that has a “P” on it.

Spooky Gulch Slot Canyons Utah Trail Map

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