Overview

Hype:

Peek-a-Boo Slot Canyon is a fun, family-friendly slot canyon in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The hike takes you 0.3 miles up a short slot canyon with a double arch and two single arches.

Canyon Rating: 2AI

Time: 2 hours for just Peek-a-Boo, 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

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: 37.481453, -111.216644

Interactive Guide Map

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Printable Maps

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, Zac Dye, Aaron Grow,

Story

On Friday afternoon, after finishing Zebra Slot Canyon, we met up with the rest of our group. We set up camp at a really nice campsite that was close but still off the beaten path (37°27'57.76"N, 111°12'21.77"W). Then when it cooled down a little, we went and hiked through Peek-a-Boo and Spooky Slot Canyons.

The roads are pretty rough, but we still drove our little Nissan Altima all the way to the trailhead (37°28'35.57"N, 111°13'13.07"W). We started hiking around 3:40pm.

The first part of the trail is a little hard to follow at parts, but all paths lead to the same place, so don't get too stressed out if you lose the trail. After you drop down off the ridge, you'll see the mouth of Dry Fork of Coyote Gulch Narrows on your left (37°28'52.13"N, 111°13'4.96"W). Keep going straight and you'll soon arrive at the mouth of Peek-a-Boo Slot Canyon (37°28'53.03"N, 111°12'59.90"W).

We made it there by 3:56pm (16 minutes), but when we were hiking to Brimstone Canyon on Saturday morning, we arrived at Peek-a-Boo in just 8 minutes.

The entrance to Peek-a-Boo Canyon is the most difficult part of the whole canyon. The roughly 10-foot wall would normally be un-climbable for most people. However, someone was kind enough to carve Moqui Steps in the wall, making is possible for almost everyone to gain access to the canyon. Others that have been to Peek-a-Boo say that there is often a pool of water at the entrance, but when we were there in June, it was completely dry.

There was another group exiting the canyon when we got there, so we had to wait for a while. Judging from the rock spiral in the sand, I'm guessing we weren't the only ones to wait at the mouth for a while.

While we were waiting, Zac, Aaron, and I had fun running up the wall to a pocket.

Almost immediately after entering Peek-a-Boo Canyon, there is an awesome double arch (best viewed after passing through the arches and looking backward).

Peek-a-Boo Canyon is a true slot canyon because you can touch both walls at the same time. In fact, there are places that get quite narrow.

The canyon remains fairly narrow for about 0.15 miles at which point it widens out and opens up a little bit. You may be fooled into thinking this is the end of the canyon, but it isn't.

Keep going a little bit further and it gets narrow again.

At 0.35 miles, the canyon opens up again (37°29'6.15"N, 111°12'59.85"W).

The trail splits from here. You can keep going up Peek-a-Book Canyon, where it soon gets narrow again; you can turn around and go back down the way you came; or you can follow a trail to the right that takes you to Spooky Canyon, which is what we did (but next time we go, we'll definitely explore Peek-a-Boo farther up).

Pictures