Spooky Gulch & Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyons - Escalante, Utah

Spooky Gulch & Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyons - Escalante, Utah

These slot canyons are incredible. Some of the more impressive slot canyons I've seen that don't require technical gear to get through. They're also pretty easy to get to with just about any vehicle, as long as Hole in the Rock Road is dry. The reason they aren't too well known or crowded is their location; located in Grand Staircase-Escalante outside Escalante, Utah, they're just....kind of in the middle of nowhere. But still definitely worth visiting.

The hike is pretty straightforward and fairly easy. And as we found out this trip, there is another nice set of narrows - Dry Creek Narrows - accessible from the same trailhead. If we'd known this, we would have left earlier and hiked all the way through the Dry Creek Narrows as well as Peek-A-Boo and Spooky Gulch. But we didn't know that, so we did a quick hike partway into Dry Creek Narrows, then turned around and headed to Peek-A-Boo. (We like starting at Peek-A-Boo because that saves our favorite - Spooky Gulch - for last. But you can do the loop either way.)

The entry to Peek-A-Boo is fairly intimidating. But honestly, if you can't get into it, you might struggle with some of the other obstacles in the two slot canyons. Assuming you make it to the top, you'll immediately be greeted with double arches inside Peek-A-Boo. The canyon alternates between slotted sections and more open ones from there.

Once you're through Peek-A-Boo, you cross over a ridge and drop into Spooky Gulch. The canyon is impressive right from the start, as you can see in the video. You're greeted with a beautiful corridor with interesting rock veins, followed shortly with another arch. Then it's on to the real fun; a short but satisfying hike through claustrophobia-inducing narrows. There is one major obstacle in this canyon (aside from the tightness of it), and that's the boulder fall. When I went years ago (solo), I had to drop down from the top. This was a (maybe) 10 foot drop that I got halfway down before realizing I was stuck hanging there, no idea if the ground was 1" or 6 feet below. I may have slightly panicked, but you can't prove it. This time, it was a fun crawl through a rabbit hole that had been opened up under the boulders.

And that's about it. I'm gonna start working on another video now. Enjoy!

Music by Artlist:
The World Inside - Rodellos Machine
Awake My Soul - Salt of the Sound
Continuance - Yehezkel Raz
For When Your Heart Breaks - Little Music