Peekaboo and Spooky Slot Canyon Hike in Escalante, Utah (Trail Guide, Tips & Map)

Looking for details on the peekaboo and spooky slot canyon hike? This guide covers everything you need to know before you go, including trail difficulty, parking, tips, and what to expect.

If you want to explore one of Utah’s most popular slot canyons, these slot canyons are unique, and so fun, but can be difficult to get to – here is what you need to know.

📍 QUICK HIKE DETAILS

• 📍 Location: Escalante, Utah
• 🥾 Distance: 4.8 miles round trip
• ⛰️ Difficulty: Hard
• ⏱️ Time: 4-5 Hours
• 🐶 Dogs Allowed: Yes
• 👶 Kid-Friendly: Yes – Ages 12+ (read info below)
• 🚻 Bathrooms: Yes at parking lot
• 💵 Cost: Free
• 📅 Best Time to Visit: Spring / Fall / Winter (It gets really hot with little shade, so bring lots of water!)

Where Is Peekaboo and Spooky Slot Canyon Located?

Peekaboo and Spooky Slot Canyon are located in Escalante, Utah. About 30-40 minutes from the town. The Trailhead is right off hole-in-the-wall road.

How to get to Peekaboo and Spooky Slot Canyon

Once you’re in Escalante, you will get on SR 12 heading south, and get off the Hole-in-the-rock road. This road is BUMPY. Some suggest a 4×4, and while I don’t think you have to have a 4×4, it definitely helps if you have one. This road is about 20 miles and is hard on your car. So keep that in mind when you’re planning your trip.

You will stay on this road until you see a parking lot and a restroom with the signage Upper Dry Fork Trailhead Parking. The trailhead will be across the street.

**There is another slot canyon called Peekaboo in Kanab, Utah. This article is the one in Escalante.

What to Expect when hiking Peekaboo and Spooky Slot Canyon

First, the road to get to these slot canyons are BUMPY. You’ll see online that you need a 4×4 to get to them, that isn’t totally true.. however, you will be driving VERY slow. The road is about 20~ miles and it has bumps on almost the whole thing. The best way to describe the bumps is it seems like a excavator drove on it that has tracks instead of tires. It created little bumps that are hard to avoid. (I might need an alignment on my car after this one) I did see a couple people driving cars like Honda Civics.

Once you make it to the parking lot, there is a bathroom! Use it, because there isn’t another one. There is also a post (two poles you want in-between) for Spooky Slot Canyon. This is where you make sure YOU WILL FIT. If you cannot fit through the posts, you will get stuck, and they are not exaggerating. Spooky slot canyon is TIGHT.

Across the street is where the trailhead starts. I’d recommend paying for the all trails app to make sure you stay on the trail (have it downloaded before you arrive). We got lost a few times and had to circle back. The trail isn’t clearly marked, there are some stack of rocks, but we didn’t always see them.

You will go through a slot canyon BEFORE you reach Peekaboo and Spooky Slot Canyons. We thought this was Peekaboo, and we were wrong. This is just one of the paths you can take to get to it. Once you get out of this slot canyon, you will see the sign guiding you to peekaboo. You MUST do peekaboo and then spooky in a loop. Each canyon is one direction. You can’t go the other direction or you will not get past others because the canyon is tight.

The first part of peekaboo you must CLIMB up a SLICK ROCK WALL. You will need really good shoes to get grip. We were lucky because the group we arrived with had a rope. One person climbed up the slick rock, and they used the rope to help others get up. This is the hardest part. Peekaboo has lots of fun twists and turns and it’s a really cool slot canyon.

Once you get out of Peekaboo, you will need to find your way to Spooky. Spooky is about .5 mile away. This is where the app is helpful because this is where we got lost. You can try to follow the stack of rocks, but you don’t see too many of them.

Once you arrive to Spooky, there isn’t a sign. At first spooky isn’t hard, but it does get tricky once you get to the boulders. You will have to climb on top of the boulders, and then there is an entrance you squeeze through that takes you UNDER the boulders. You will need to jump off the boulder and into the sand. It was roughly a 5-6 foot drop into the sand. It was a little freaky, but you are in the correct spot.

This is where Spooky gets… well spooky. The slot canyon is TIGHT. When we were going through it we were slightly panicked worried we were in the wrong place and that the slot canyon would end. As long as you fit between those posts at the trailhead, you should fit. But there may be a lot of shimming and shaking in some spots.

Once you make it out of Spooky, you can follow the wash back to Peekaboo. It will make a big loop. You will then go back through that first slot canyon, and make your way back to the car!

Is Peekaboo and Spooky Slot Canyons in Utah Kid Friendly?

As a toddler mom, I’d say no. However, if you’re a hiking family, we did see a 4 year old on the trail with their family. The hardest part for kids are the slick rock into peekaboo, the part in spooky where you have to get off the boulder, and how tight spooky can get. Spooky is tight but also has some spots where you have to get down, which spooked the kids because they couldn’t get much help due to how tight it was.

Keep in mind, you don’t have to do Spooky slot canyon. You can do Peekaboo, and circle back around without doing Spooky.

What should you bring to hike Peekaboo and Spooky slot canyon?

1. Lots of water
2. Hiking Shoes (With good grip)
3. Lunch
4. Gloves (this would have been so nice to have, my hands were torn up after)
5. T-shirt (I wore a tank top and my arms and back got scratched up, so keep that in mind.)
6. Sunscreen
7. Hat

Tips before going to Peekaboo and Spooky Slot Canyon:

1. The road to get to the trailhead is BUMPY. Plan accordingly.
2. Download the trail on all trails so you don’t get lost as trail isn’t clearly marked.
3. Make sure you fit between the posts next to the restroom. If you don’t fit through them, you won’t fit in Spooky.
4. Gloves would have been so nice to have, bring some if you have some.
5. Don’t wear a tank top like I did. My arms and back got scratched up from how tight the canyon gets.
6. If you’re going with a group, bring a rope to help others get into Peekaboo slick rock at the start of the trail.

Nearby Things to Do In Escalante

Make it a full adventure! Here are other things to do near Peekaboo & Spooky Slot Canyon:

• Another Hike – Zebra Slot Canyon
• Another Hike – The Devils Garden

Or check out our 50+ Things to do in Utah, to find your next adventure!

Final thoughts about Peekaboo and Spooky Slot Canyon

Make sure you are prepared before going! I’d recommend downloading the all trails map before you lose service and have that help guide you. Bring lots of water, make sure you will fit, use the bathroom before you go, and have fun! This trail is nothing like anything I’ve done before. Though challenging and a little spooky.. I would definitely doing it again.

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Need more help finding the trail?

Check out all trails app! This is a great way to get a detailed map of the trail, as well as how to get there. You can check it out here.