Overview

Hype:

Spooky Slot Canyon is a fun, family-friendly slot canyon in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This canyon is a little bit more difficult than Peek-a-Boo Slot Canyon and involves a 10' section of chimneying and several tight passages.

Canyon Rating: 2AI

Time: 3 hours for just Spooky, 3 hours for Peek-a-Boo and Spooky

Length: Narrow section is 0.3 miles long. Recommended route is to go up Peek-a-Boo and down Spooky. Total distance for both canyons is 2.7 miles round trip from the parking lot.

Longest Rappel: N/A

Gear: None

Fees: None

Recommended Ages:

0-3
4-11
12-19
20-49
50-69
70+

Recommended Months to Visit:

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Features:
  • Arches
  • Slot Canyon
  • Downclimbs
  • Wetsuit Generally Not Required
  • No Drinking Water
  • Wayfinding
  • No Restrooms
  • Road Access is Dirt - High Clearance
  • Access Road is 2WD Accessible
  • Hiking Trails
  • Wildflowers and Vegitation
  • Wildlife and Birding

Permits: Free permits are required for overnight trips. Permits are available at several trailheads and at the Escalante Interagency Visitor Center

Links: Tom’s Utah Canyoneering Guide
The American Southwest
RedRockTrails.com

Getting There

Navigate to 37.476802, -111.220171.

Maps

Closest City or Region: Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah

Coordinates: 37.481304, -111.209007

Interactive Guide Map

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Printable Maps

Dry Forks Coyote Gulch Map

March 28, 2015 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Troop 601,

Pictures

June 17, 2011 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Tara Dye, Savannah Dye, Anthony Dye, Arianne Dye,

Story

The route we took through Spooky Canyon started at the top of the canyon because we hiked up Peek-a-Boo Canyon and down Spooky Canyon.

The trail between Peek-a-Boo and Spooky is about 0.42 miles long.

My GPS wasn't working on this trip, so the trail I traced in Google Earth may not be 100% accurate. But the trail is very easy to follow and has rock cairns marking the way.

The trail drops you right at the top of Spooky Canyon (37°39'5.50"N, 111°39'34.91"W). This connector trail took us about 24 minutes.

Spooky Canyon is a little bit more difficult than Peek-a-Boo, but it's still quite easy.

Like I said before, we brought our 10-month-old with us.

By far, the most difficult part of the canyon is the rockfall area, which requires chimneying down about 10 feet.

Like Peek-a-Boo, Spooky Canyon is also a slot canyon, and there are a couple parts where it is so tight that we had to unstrap our baby carrier and pass the baby from one person to the next.

Zac was pretty proud of the rock he found.

One of the neatest parts about Spooky is the texture of the canyon walls.

While Peek-a-Boo has smooth sandstone, Spooky has rough, "pock-marked" walls.

It may not look like it, but Savannah actually enjoyed herself. Even when she had to be carried on the side, she was enthralled by the canyon and wanted to touch everything.

Spooky Canyon took us about 37 minutes to go the 0.31 miles. Here is Tara and Savannah taking a breather at the mouth of the canyon.

The mouth of Spooky Slot Canyon.

From the mouth of Spooky Canyon, follow the trail to the southwest. The trail to the northwest doesn't go anywhere.

After about 15 minutes, you'll pass the mouth of Peek-a-Book Canyon. Return to the parking area the way you came.

We finished at about 6:20pm (total time of 2 hours and 40 minutes to do Peek-a-Boo and Spooky). We went at a leisurely speed on this trip. I'm guessing that if we were in a hurry, we could do the loop in about an hour (jogging), but I wouldn't recommend rushing it.

Pictures