Dry Fork Canyons
Peekaboo, Spooky,
Brimstone & Dry Fork Narrows

Grand Staircase
Escalante National Monument
Canyoneering

The Dry Fork slot canyons are the most popular hike in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument for good reason. The hike is easily assessable to most adults and older children. The slot canyons are also extremely photogenic, which makes them a shutterbugs paradise. Visiting all four of these slots makes a nice day for your typical family of hikers. Take Only Pictures and leave only footprints.

Peek-a-Boo From where you parked you can see the slot canyon to the west. The canyon is usually dry and is only about.35 miles long. Notice how some sections are warmer and others are flushed with chilly air as the slot twists and turns, opens and narrows and the canyon floor rises and falls throughout the short hike. Peek-a-Boo Slot Canyon. Peek-a-Boo Canyon was fantastic! Extremely narrow and with all kinds of unique natural features like arches and natural bridges. From the entrance of the Dry Fork Slot, I walked down Dry Fork for about 10-15 minutes until the obvious entrance of Peek-a-Book appeared on my left. Peek-a-Boo and Spooky slot canyons are located in The BLM (Bureau of Land Management) area alongside Escalante. We drove through part of Escalante to get there and also when we left. Follow highway 12 until you see the Hole in the Wall Road. Turn there and drive for 26.3 miles and you will find the trailhead on the left. Fortunately, there are some slot canyons that can be experienced without such a hefty price. Red Canyon, or as locals call it: Peek-a-boo, does not require any hiking to get to, but instead is an adventure that has the thrill of 4-wheeling on deep sand through a desert landscape of junipers, pinions, yuccas and cacti.

General Information:
 Dry Fork contains the four slot canyons of Peekaboo, Spooky, Brimstone and Dry Fork Narrows. These canyons can be combined in many fashions to create an adventure lasting from several hours to a full day of exploring. The slots are accessible to most hikers and photographers with only a small amount of scrambling required. Fall and spring are the preferred seasons to do this route. The routes can also be done in summer as there is shade available.

The complete Dry Fork route is rated 1A III using the Canyon Rating System. In normal conditions you might find some wading ranging from ankle to knee deep depending on recent conditions. It's also possible you will find the slots completely dry. Go prepared for at least some minor wading. Most groups will find a short 50-foot section of rope useful for handlines and to help in raising and lowering backpacks. This is a desert environment so bring plenty of water.

A GPS is helpful in identifying waypoints and verifying your location. Good map reading skills and the USGS 7.5' Map titled 'Big Hollow Wash' are valuable tools. All waypoints and maps for this route use the WGS84 datum. Navigation for this route is moderate. There is hiker trail for most of the way which is not difficult to follow. Mistakes in navigation are easy to overcome and correct on this route. These canyons have a moderate flashflood danger, check the local weather before entering these slot canyons.

Trailhead Information:
From Main and Center in the town of Escalante, Utah travel 5.0 miles east on Highway 12 to the signed Hole-In-The-Rock Road (N37° 43' 39', W111° 31' 54'). The maintained gravel road is located on the south side of Highway 12. Turn south (right) on Hole-In-The-Rock Road and travel 26.3 miles to the signed Dry Fork Road (N37° 28' 00', W111° 13' 27'). Turn east (left) and follow the Dry Forks Road 0.7 miles to a junction (N37° 27' 56', W111° 12' 44'). Turn north (left) at the junction and follow the road 0.9 miles to the Dry Fork Trailhead.

The Dry Fork Trailhead is accessible to all vehicles in normal weather conditions. A vehicle shuttle is not required to complete this route.

Route Information:
From the Dry Fork Trailhead(N37° 28' 38', W111° 12' 58') follow the well used trail north for one mile as it descends to the bottom of Dry Fork Coyote Gulch (N37° 28' 52', W111° 13' 05'). Once in the canyon bottom you can hike north (upstream) for 1/2 mile and explore the Dry Fork Narrows.

Once you have explored the Dry Fork Narrows return to where you entered the wash and hike downstream a short distance to Peekaboo Canyon (N37° 28' 53', W111° 13' 00'). Peekaboo and Spooky are normally done as a loop hike by going up Peekaboo and down Spooky. This is the easiest method of defeating the obstacles you will face. This direction also puts the most difficult obstacle, which is the entrance into Peekaboo first on the to-do list. If you can enter Peekaboo you should have the skills required to complete the loop.

From the entrance of Peekaboo climb up the 20-foot dryfall using steps carved in the sandstone. Those less skilled might find a partner assist and the use of a handline to be helpful. Once up the dryfall hike upstream and enjoy the show. This canyon contains several nice arches and bridges. Continue up through the narrows until the canyon opens up and a cairned hiker trail (N37° 29' 08', W111° 13' 00') exits the wash to the east (right).

Follow the hiker trail 1/2 mile east to the top of Spooky Canyon (N37° 29' 06', W111° 12' 34'). From the top of Spooky hike downstream and enjoy the narrows. You will encounter some great narrows and a couple minor obstacles in this slot but nothing too difficult. Once the canyon opens up continue hiking downstream until you reach its confluence with Dry Forks (N37° 28' 49', W111° 12' 29').

Peekaboo Spooky Slot Canyon Hike

Once you reach Dry Forks hike downstream (east) for 3/4 miles to where a wide side canyon known as Brimstone Canyon (N37° 28' 32', W111° 11' 47') enters from the north (left). Hike up the wide wash a short distance to where the canyon narrows quickly to become a deep and skinny slot canyon. Hike upstream as far as you wish, but use caution, at least one hiker has become wedged in Brimstone and had to be rescued. The secret to success is not to force your way into any extremely tight constriction. Once you are done exploring Brimstone hike back up Dry Fork and return to the trailhead.

Trapped Hiker:
In 1996 a Tucson, AZ, photographer was stranded for eight days in Brimstone Canyon of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. He survived on a swallow of water per day while awaiting rescue. He was found by a search dog when the dog tracked him to the edge of the crevasse. When rescued, he was taken to the hospital, treated for dehydration and released after a couple days' rest.

Video:
 Enjoy a short video of hiking Peek-a-boo and Spooky Canyons. Video courtesy of Dan Burt.

Controversy:
The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was declared in September 1996 at the height of the 1996 presidential election campaign by President Bill Clinton, and was controversial from the moment of creation. The declaration ceremony was held at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, and not in the state of Utah. The Utah congressional delegation and state governor were notified only 24 hours in advance. This was seen by many as a transparent political ploy to gain votes in the contested state of Arizona. That November, Clinton won Arizona by a margin of 2.2%. Local officials and Utah Congressman objected to the designation of the Monument, questioning whether the Antiquities Act allowed such vast amounts of land to be designated a monument.
Environmental groups had long sought wilderness designation for the lands inside the monument. While designation of the monument is not legally the same as wilderness designation, for most practical purposes it is very similar. Bill Clinton significantly improved his standing with environmentalists by designating the monument.

© Copyright 2000-, Climb-Utah.com

Peekaboo spooky slot canyon hike
Peek-a-Boo Canyon, Dry Fork Narrows and Spooky Gulch are three easily accessed slot canyons from the Dry Fork Trailhead off Hole-in-the-Rock Road. Don't miss them if you made it this far into Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
After a great start with Zebra and Tunnel Slot Canyons, I continued down Hole-in-the-Rock Raod for more infamous canyon experiences. Referencing the fantastic book, Hiking the Escalante by Rudi Lambrechtse, I discovered extensive non-technical canyoneering hikes in the area and this one at the Dry Fork Trailhead couldn't be missed. This includes Peek-a-Boo Canyon, Dry Fork Narrows and Spooky Gulch.

Getting to Dry Fork Road and Spooky Canyon, Peek-a-Boo Slot and Dry Fork Canyons

As of June 2019, Hole-in-the-Rock Road is definitely passable by 2-wheel drive cars all the way to Dry Fork Road but with a few caveats. (Call the inter-agency center for up to date details) After the turnoff for Zebra Gulch, the road becomes exceptionally washboard. I noticed at least one person changing a flat; not exactly uncommon out here. The road was in otherwise good shape but very slow going.
From the beginning of Hole-in-the-Rock Road as it turns off from Utah Route 12, its 26 bumpy miles to Dry Fork Road. Low clearance vehicles should drive the road to the first bend and park in an unmarked parking area on the right. Past this point, the road is sandy and rocky- high clearance only. The 1.0 mile from the 2-wheel drive parking area to the actual trail-head is an easy hike but tough drive.

Hiking into Dry Fork and the Dry Fork Narrows

Half the adventure is getting to the trailhead! Now that I made it, I filled up on 3 liters of water and set off. There's a small sign in sheet at the trailhead.
Like so many adventures in Utah, this is more of an informal route than a trail. The popularity of the canyons hasn't lead to a single established trail. I relied heavily on my GPS. From the 4 wheel drive parking area, I descended steep slickrock, finding a switch-backed route using several cairns. I picked up a route in the sand that eventually lead down a side canyon into Dry Fork. An ammo box at the bottom served as a register and I knew I found the right place. Here's a map of that route and the canyons that awaited:

Dry Fork Narrows/Slot Canyon

Once reaching Dry Fork, there were three options. I liked the progression of Dry Fork Narrows first, then Peek-a-Boo Canyon, then Spooky Slot. It starts from least claustrophobic to most or least slot-like to most.
Dry Fork Narrows is immediately to the left. I walked up the canyon which progressively narrowed. Gazing upward, it amazed me how these canyons form. Steep walls and a fairly flat bottom formed a nearly perpendicular box. This canyon wasn't as sinuous as other slots but just as entrancing.
For roughly 0.5 miles, the canyon remains narrow. About 3/4ths of the way through it became very muddy and a bit of a scramble. I encountered some sort of desert toad in the water at one point. But what really halted further travel was a Midget Faded Rattlesnake. They are common enough in this area that most guidebooks reference encounters similar to the one I had. So I turned back!

Peek-a-Boo Slot Canyon

Peek-a-Boo Canyon was fantastic! Extremely narrow and with all kinds of unique natural features like arches and natural bridges. From the entrance of the Dry Fork Slot, I walked down Dry Fork for about 10-15 minutes until the obvious entrance of Peek-a-Book appeared on my left.
Its a hands-and-feet scramble to get into Peek-a-Boo. Somebody's cut some finger holds and steps into the canyon so people can get in (not sure if I agree with that practice). In either case, its not terribly difficult by rock climbing standards
Some further, less exposed scrambling lead me to a pair of natural bridges which were phone to gaze upon and photograph. How much time did it take for them to form?
This pattern of rock-hopping and stopping to admire natural features continued for about 45 minutes. After about a third of a mile of this, an easy exit appeared on the right. I dropped my pack here and continued exploring up canyon. I regretted I did this as I found the actual end (or beginning) of Peek-a-Boo Canyon after another 30 minutes of slithering through the slots. The guidebooks were confusing about where to exit.
I tried finding a clear route from the exit of Peek-a-Boo Canyon to the entrance/exit of Spooky Gulch but was unsuccessful.

Peek-a-Boo Gulch/Canyon

Of the three I did, Peek-a-Boo was the tightest and longest squeeze. I found and overland route from Peek-a-Boo canyon's exit to the entrance of Spooky Canyon at Dry Gulch. It quickly got tight.
Walking Spooky Gulch was like being underground. It was dark, a bit damp and disorienting. The book says 10 inches of horizontal space here. I'm glad I dropped my daypack at the entrance. Also, I'm glad I set a time with somebody off site just in case I got stuck. Lots of people travel this cave but the need for safety measures persist.
It took about an hour to go from one end of Spooky Canyon to the other. I didn't bring a flashlight but there's a section with rock fall that creates near total darkness. Bring a light source! Some sections also required more significant scrambling so be prepared for that too.

Spooky Slot Canyon Hike

The exit point of Spooky Gulch wasn't so difficult to find and I made an overland loop back to the entrance to save time. Some people simply hike back through the gulch I noticed.
Guidebooks mention nearby Brimstone Canyon as another slot nearby. This particular section of Grand Staircase-Escalante probably has the highest concentration of individual slot canyons in the whole region.
I returned the way I came, constantly looking at the map and GPS to ensure I was on the right route. In spite of the area's increasing popularity, even experienced hikers like myself get lost from time to time! Enjoy yourself but be prepared!