How do I even begin to explain how beautiful this place is?! I don't think I can do it justice. There is so much I still have to explore. I would love to backpack Coyote Gulch, hike Hole in the Rock, and explore the main areas of the national monument. But this was a quick getaway, like most of my trips while I am in school. We left Friday night from Salt Lake and arrived at our AirBnB 5 hours later. We stayed in a bunkhouse on a farm. It was very small, but it had a TV, a bed, and roosters as a wake-up call. For $55 a night you can't beat that. We had specifically come to accomplish two hikes. Spooky & Peek-a-Boo Gulch. I had never hiked slot canyons and rumor had it that these two slot canyons were in the area that was no longer under protection due to a new order that had been signed to drastically reduce the size of the national monument. Once you experience Grand Staircase, it's hard to imagine that anyone could even consider doing such a thing.
Researching this hike, I had two things I was concerned about, would my car make it on the dirt road to the trailhead and would we get lost? I didn't want to risk my car so we rented a Jeep Wrangler for the weekend. That was the best or worst thing we've ever done, because after that all I could think about was going and getting one for myself!
The next obstacle was not getting lost on the trail. Getting to Peek-A-Boo Gulch is not a problem. It is right along the trail, but once you pop out is where it starts to get tricky. There are multiple cairns that can be misleading. We ended up hooking up with an older couple, who by the way were already pushing our pace. They had a paper map and we were using the GPS on AllTrails. I had downloaded the maps earlier, thank god! This was so helpful and is essential that you do the same. We got turned around a few times, but we finally saw the end of Spooky Gulch and followed it back to the start and descended our way into the coolest experience I have ever had.
This gulch is much more challenge than Peek-A-Boo. It is very narrow at times and has a lot more maneuvering involved. There is also a part that requires a big climb up or a big jump down. I think it would be difficult no matter which way you are going through but it can be done. I'll also note that Peek-A-Boo has a decent scramble up the rock to get into the gulch, but there are holes carved in the rock to assist you. I was wearing my FiveTen Access approach shoes, which have vibram rubber on the bottom like climbing shoes, which helped me feel super secure on the rock.
What You Want to Know
Take Me There!
Head South from Escalante on Highway 12 towards Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Turn-onto Hole-in-the-Rock road and drive for 26 miles to Dry Fork Road. From there head Northeast to the trailhead parking area. You can park at the first dirt patch and walk to the trailhead if your car is not 4-wheel drive and a high clearance. If your car is good to go, continue on until you see signage for the trail. You will most likely see campers in the area as this is BLM land and you can camp anywhere.
Note: Once you turn-off highway 12 it becomes a dirt road. It is manageable in most cars if the road is not wet, I would check conditions before you head out.
How long is the hike?
It is a 3.5 mile loop. We hiked Peek-A-Boo to Spooky Gulch. You can do it the other way, this will require you to climb up onto a boulder in the slot trail. I thought getting down was a little difficult. I may have preferred to climb up.
What Do I Wear?!
Wear shoes that have good traction on sandy surfaces. You have to balance yourself quite a bit and I was thankful to have good sticky shoes. Sunscreen! When you are not hiking in the gulches you are fully exposed to the sun and it gets hot quickly. Also bring plenty of water!
Can I bring my dog?
Yes! Dogs are allowed on the trail. The couple we were hiking with had their little dog, who was the size of a chihuahua. I have to say that I think it would be very difficult for a dog to go through Spooky Gulch. We left ours at home and I was thankful we did. But you know your dog best, if they are used to extreme hiking they would probably be fine.
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