Hiking Peek-a-boo and Spooky Gulch Slot canyons

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Peek-A-Boo and Spooky Gulches are hidden wonders in my opinion. They are some of the most incredible slot canyons in Utah. If you like to take pictures, these slots will be some of the prettiest pictures you will ever capture. Peek-A-Boo has wave-like walls that are so much fun to scale through, while Spooky is one of the narrowest slot canyons, with some places being only 10″ wide. If you don’t like enclosed spaces or are prone to claustrophobia, you may want to skip Spooky. Hikers of all ages and experiences will enjoy this ~4 mile loop.

As you know, Matt and I enjoy having adventures with friends. For this trip, we invited my cute cousin, Brea, and her boyfriend, Tyler, to come along with us.

Getting there

In Escalante, Drive 26 miles down Hole in the Rock Road and you will see a turn-off on your left with a sign labeled “Dry Fork.” With how bad Hole in the Rock Road is, it will seem like much longer than 26 miles 😉 You will see two parking lots after the turn-off. If your car is capable, drive to the left towards the further parking lot. This will get you closer to the trailhead. If the road to the second parking lot is too rough for your car, park in the first one and hike .9 miles down to the second lot where the trailhead starts.

First, let me start off with a warning. While these hikes are incredible and fun, it is very easy to get lost and run out of water. When Matt and I last went to these slots three years ago, we got lost coming out of Peek-A-Boo while trying to find Spooky and scrambled around for about an hour until we found the opposite entrance to Spooky than we were looking for. We also were not prepared and didn’t have enough water with us. On top of that, we got started later in the day and the sun was starting to set as we were walking into Spooky – not the best idea to be hiking in an extremely narrow slot canyon with hardly any light coming through as it is getting dark.

We ended up just walking into Spooky for a few minutes, then turned around so that we could make our way back to our car before it got too dark, as we didn’t have a flashlight on us. It was much better this time around.

So here are my recommendations:

1. Download the free GPS app Maps.me. Download the Southern Utah map to the app so you can access it when you don’t have service. Next, locate the coordinates for the slots: (These might already be downloaded on your map, but if not, here are the coordinates)
   • Dry Fork Overlook parking lot: 37°28’35.5″N 111°13’12.84″W
   • Peek-A-Boo Lower Entrance: 37°28’54.28″N 111°12’59.91″W
   • Peek-A-Boo Upper Entrance: 37°29’07.31″N 111°12’59.78″W
   • Spooky Upper Entrance: 37°29’06.53″N 111°12’33.85″W
   • Spooky Lower Entrance: 37°28’54.01″N 111°12’31.98″W
     • My recommended route is to enter at Peek-A-Boo lower entrance → exit at Peek-A-Boo upper entrance, make your way almost directly east (you can see the trail on the Maps.me app) until you reach Spooky upper entrance → exit at Spooky lower entrance, then head west back up the wash to your car. By going up Peek-A-Boo and down Spooky, you defeat the most difficult obstacle first (the entrance to Peek-A-Boo).
       
       
       • Check out this map we found from Earth Trekkers. It is very helpful.

1. Bring lots of water! There is nowhere you can refill your water on this hike and, until you are in the slots, there is no shade.
2. If you are starting in the afternoon, bring a flashlight. Like I said, it is easy to get lost here, so having a flashlight might come in handy.
3. If you aren’t the best climber, bring a small rope to help scale the entrance of Peek-A-Boo.
4. This loop typically takes about 3-4 hours, so make sure you plan with plenty of time to explore.
5. If it has rained recently, there will be lots of mud and puddles of water, especially in Peek-A-Boo. Bring water shoes that you can hike in (like Chacos) to change into once you enter the slot, if this is the case. (This time the slots were bone-dry, but three years ago there were a lot of puddles of water, plus a big pile of mud at the entrance to Peek-A-Boo)
6. Make sure you check the weather, and DO NOT HIKE THESE CANYONS IF THERE IS ANY RAIN IN THE FORECAST. These slots are extremely prone to flash floods and you can die if you are not careful.

Climbing down into the wash

To get to Peek-A-Boo and Spooky, you will need to descend 200 feet to get into the wash. Follow a well-worn sandy trail until you reach a point where it disappears into the rocky, red mountainside. From here, follow the cairns as you scale your way to the bottom of the wash.

Dry Fork Narrows

As soon as you enter the wash, you will see the entrance to Dry Fork Narrows directly to your left. You may want to explore the Dry Fork Narrows for about 1/2 mile before returning to the wash and making your way to Peek-a-Boo.

Peek-A-Boo

Peek-A-Boo is in my top 3 favorite hikes. There really is no way to describe how incredible it is without seeing it first-hand.

It is good to know that at the lower entrance to Pee-A-Boo, you have to do a 20-foot Class 3 climb to enter the slot. When Matt and I went three years ago, the entrance to the slot was surrounded by thick mud. It took us over an hour just to get into the slot because our shoes were caked in slippery mud and we couldn’t get a good foot hold. Luckily, a lone hiker was coming the other direction and we helped her down and then she helped us up. I got about halfway up the climb, then Matt lowered a small rope to me to help me up the rest. If you are not the best climber, I would recommend bringing a small rope – you never know when it might come in handy. With at least 3 people though, you shouldn’t have any problems.

When it hasn’t rained for a while, the lower entrance should be nice and dry, as it was for us this time. It only took about 5 minutes for us to get into the canyon, versus an hour+. Once you are in, it is immediately breathtaking. You will get to climb, scoot, and slide through the wave-like walls.

Keep going until you come out of the slot at the upper entrance.

*Note: This is where Matt and I got lost the first time we went. We thought the slot ended a lot earlier than it actually did and missed at least the second half. The GPS app really helped this time as we knew for certain when the slot ended, and when to head to Spooky.

Spooky

Once you get out, head east and make your way for 1/2 mile to the upper entrance to Spooky. You will follow a sandy path and cairns. Be careful, Matt and I got lost here last time we went, and I know a lot of others do too. If you are using Maps.me you should have no problems.

Like I mentioned before, Spooky is a very narrow slot canyon. You cannot wear your backpack for most of the slot, and have to carry it in front of you. You will get scraped up, it is inevitable with how narrow the walls are. It is also a lot darker and cooler in this slot as there isn’t a lot of light that comes through.

It is easier to go down this slot rather than up, because within the upper half, you will come to a boulder choke with a seven foot drop. This required Matt and Tyler to jump down unassisted, and assist Brea and I down the rest of the way (I’m short, only 5′ so this made me a little nervous).

The rest of Spooky isn’t too hard to navigate through. Once you’ve exited the lower entrance, make your way back west up the wash until you see the Dry Narrows and hike back up the mountain.

Brimstone Slot

Matt and I have never hiked to Brimstone slot, as it is a good hour more to get to the entrance from Spooky. If you are a seasoned hiker and want to make a full day of hiking these slots, you may want to check out Brimstone slot as well. This slot is extremely narrow – only 6″ wide in some parts, so if you don’t like the feeling of being enclosed, this hike may not be for you.

Our experience

We absolutely loved hiking the Peek-A-Boo and Spooky loop with Tyler and Brea. In our opinion, it was more fun to have another couple to share this experience with. Overall, for this hike my fitness app reads that we hiked 5.27 miles (this includes a short walk through Dry Fork [about 5 minutes], Peek-A-Boo, and Spooky, plus hiking down into the wash and back up again when we were done) and took 3 hours and 40 minutes. I really appreciated having the Maps.me app this time so that Matt and I didn’t get lost scrambling around trying to find the upper entrance to Spooky.

We started our hike in the afternoon at 3pm and ended at 6:40pm. It seemed that most of the other hikers were on their way out as we were making our way down into the wash. We only saw one other group passing by in each of the other slots. I predict that this hike would be very busy in the morning, but a lot cooler temperature. I would avoid these slots at high noon when the sun will be directly overhead and shining right into the slots. It will be much hotter, and the sun won’t create the cool shadows that are iconic for Peek-A-Boo.

We hope that you enjoyed reading this post, and I surely hope that you will head down to my favorite State Park and explore these incredible slots. Comment below if you are planning a trip down to Escalante or if you have already hiked these slots and what you thought of them.

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