A Guide to Spooky and Peek-a-Book Slot Canyons

Spooky and Peek-a-Book slot canyons are in Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Located about 30.0 mi / 48.3 km SE from the town of Escalante off of Hole-in-the-Rock Road. Spooky Gulch and Peek-a-Book Gulch are tributaries of the Dry Fork of Coyote Gulch. Access is a moderate day hike from the trailhead. They are usually combined into one hike, entering Peek-a-Boo and exiting Spooky.

Essential Facts
Why Go
When To Go
Map & Route
Getting There
Details
Trip Guide & Photos

Essential Facts

Activity: Day Hike
Distance: 4.5 mi / 7.2 km
Elevation: 700 ft / 213 m
Difficulty: moderate, with some light scrambling
Time: 4 hours, leisurely pace

Why Go

This pair of slots might be the reason you will obsess over slot canyons — they were for us. And even though they are almost next to each other, each one has its own distinct personality and mood. Peek-a-Boo is a crazy jungle-gym of a slot that twists you up and down and Spooky is a more traditional — and very narrow — slot with a knobby texture found nowhere else.

When To Go

Fall or spring. In the summer there’s a chance of flash floods and that hike down is going to be hot. Winter can be cold and possibly have very cold water inside Spooky.

It can get very crowded. So the earlier in the day you go, the fewer folks you have to deal with.

Map & Route

Download GPX File

You can use the above file in Google Maps, CalTopo, Gaia GPS, BackCountry Navigator, Garmin GPS devices, or a number of other apps for offline use.

Getting There

Trailhead: Lower Dry Fork (view in Google Maps) NOTE: as of 16 Apr 2021 Google shows this incorrectly
Parking: new lot with an additional overflow lot
Fees: no
Bathrooms: yes
Road: Hole-in-the-Rock Road isn’t difficult, but it’s has washboards and ruts. Don’t expect to go fast. If it’s rained, drive a 4WD or wait a day or two for the mud to dry out.

Details

Slot Canyon Info

For all the quiet beauty you can find in slot canyons, these things can be serious business. So there’s a few things you should know before entering.

Flash Flood Danger. People die in slot canyons. If a storm drops rain — maybe miles away — and it goes through the slot, do not count on surviving. These canyons are very, very narrow and it doesn’t take a lot of flash flood water to fill them up. So before going, check the forecast. Before entering, check the sky. And go in the spring or fall when the chance of storms are lower.

Wayfinding. Once you’re in the slot, there’s not many choices. But on the hike to get there you can get lost. It’s easy to get turned-around in canyon country because the landscape inside canyons can look all the same. Bring a map and a navigation device or app.

Cold Water, Deep Water. Any slot can have standing water in it, and that water will be cold. So be prepared to take off your boots. Maybe bring neoprene socks. The water in the easier slots probably won’t be very deep, but always go slowly and feel your way through.

Bring Water. You don’t want to have to drink that old, nasty slot canyon water if something goes wrong. And Utah’s probably drier than you expect. Always bring along water. And not one of those half-liter bottles, make it at least one or two full liters for a half day and four liters for a full day.

Free Gear? No, that hiking equipment at the start of the slot canyon means that someone’s already there. It’s a tight fit in there and no room to pass. You probably don’t know them, so just hang back and give them their space until they’re out.

In 2019 & 2020 the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) improved the Upper and Lower Dry Gulch trailheads, adding more parking and a pit toilet to this heavily used spot. They also relocated the parking area about a mile south to get it out of a wilderness area.

Trip Guide & Photos

The trail starts at the new trailhead, which is about 1.0 mi / 1.6 km south of the previous one. After skirting the canyon edge, you get back to the old trailhead and start your descent into the Dry Fork canyon. The trail down is well-marked.

Descent to Dry Fork — H descending to the trail

Once on the canyon bottom you’ll go to Peek-a-Boo first. The BLM asks that hikers go up Peek-A-Boo and down Spooky to help with traffic and congestion inside the slots. So scramble up into Peek-A-Boo — it’s the biggest move of the outing.

After you get in, enjoy the ride! This kooky slot is fairly unusual in its twists & turns.

You’ll get to the top of Peek-a-Boo and turn right / head east. The hike between the two is marked, but this is where you’ll be glad that you brought some kind of navigational app/device. Next you’ll start Spooky. Climb down into Spooky if you can, using your legs and arms to lower yourself down the 10 ft / 3 m. There’s a rope that folks use — but I, personally, don’t trust a rope that I didn’t set.

Once down, just carry your pack until Spooky’s done — you’ll have to turn sideways and it won’t fit. It’s a wonderfully narrow slot canyon with the bonus of the unique textures on the walls.

Textured Sandstone in Spooky Slot — Textured Sandstone in Spooky

The tight spaces are pretty narrow, but don’t freak — they don’t last. I’m not small and although I had to hold my breath for a couple of moves, that was only in a few spots not for any length. And then it widens to a more comfortable space.

And then it’s over and you’ll wish you spent more time inside.

These premier slots are some of the best. By the time you get back to your car, you’ll be planning your next trip to Utah to what other slot canyons can be like.

Photos from 24 Sep 2015