PEEK-A-BOO & SPOOKY SLOTS

NOVEMBER 2008 & NOVEMBER 2012

ARCH ALONG THE BOTTOM OF PEEK-A-BOO SLOT

SPOOKY SLOT

PEEK-A-BOO ARCHES

PEEK-A-BOO SLOT

PEEK-A-BOO SLOT

The Peek-A-Boo and Spooky slot canyons are both accessed from the Dry Fork Trailhead located 26 miles down Hole-in-the-Rock Road near Escalante, Utah. The road is a bit rough, but I was able to make it both times in a Corolla without much trouble. From the Dry Fork Trailhead, the trail will take you a half-mile down into Dry Fork. Once you are at the bottom, you will see a slot canyon opening up to your left. This is a branch of Dry Fork which I accidentally mistook for Peek-A-Boo my first time here. While not as popular as Peek-A-Boo, it is a very nice slot canyon, approximately one mile in length that is definitely worth your time. 

To reach Peek-A-Boo, you will take a right after arriving at the canyon floor, and follow Dry Fork for a couple hundred feet until you see an opening in the side of the rock located about ten or fifteen feet off the ground. When I visited, some rocks had been stacked up in front of the entrance, and some hand holds had been carved into the rock to help you get into it. Just past the the entrance you will pass through two natural arches located right next to each other. From here some squeezing and maneuvering are required to work your way up the canyon. I went up the canyon for a mile or two until it opened up and became uninteresting. It's a nice slot, though not nearly as deep as most of the other slots in the Escalante area.

About a half-mile past the entrance to Peek-A-Boo, you will come to the entrance to Spooky. Spooky is a really tight canyon which requires a lot of squeezing and walking sideways. It goes for a couple miles, but I was only able to make it about a half-mile before it got a little too tight for my liking. My tolerance for tight slot canyons has increased over the years, so I may have to give it another shot one day, as I've heard several people list this as their favorite hike in Utah.  

EGYPT 3

NOVEMBER 2008

SIDE CANYON NARROWS

EGYPT 3

NARROWS SECTION

EGYPT 3 FROM ABOVE

To reach Egypt 3, you will travel down Hole-in-the-Rock Road for 16 miles, and take a left onto Egypt Road. From the Egypt Road turnoff, it is approximately nine miles to Egypt 3. In order to drive all the way to the beginning of the hike, you will need a high-clearance, four-wheel drive vehicle. Driving a Corolla, I was able to make it to within about a mile-and-a-half of Egypt 3 before I came to a hill that was too sandy for my car to make it up. 

About a half-mile before reaching Egypt 3 the road will pass right by the edge of Egypt 2. This is a very deep canyon with shear drop-offs that is intimidating to look down into. Keep going until you reach Egypt 3, which is also a very deep canyon with cliffs on all sides. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to get into it at first, but eventually found a way to scramble down into a side canyon on the far side of Egypt 3 that dropped me into Egypt 3.

Once in Egypt 3, just follow it along. It does require some work to get through. You don't need any equipment, but its not a canyon you just walk down. It is a fun canyon to be in. It eventually narrows down more and more until I had to take my backpack off and scoot down the canyon sideways for hundreds of feet at a time. It finally got too tight for my liking and I took an exit route up a side canyon. From the exit, it was long, lonely walk through some pretty desert back to the beginning. I was the only person here when I visited in November of 2008. It is definitely a canyon I would love to hike again some time, and hopefully make a little further down before turning back. 

UPPER CALF CREEK FALLS

NOVEMBER 2012

UPPER CALF CREEK FALLS

UPPER CALF CREEK FALLS

UPPER CALF CREEK FALLS

Upper Calf Creek Falls is a less-crowded alternative to Calf Creek Falls, located just a few miles upstream. To reach the trailhead, you will turn onto an unmarked dirt road near mile marker 81 on Highway 12, about five-and-a-half miles north of the Calf Creek Falls turn-off. It is only about a one-mile hike to the falls, but it is a very steep hike, dropping several hundred feet. While the falls are not as impressive as Calf Creek Falls, they require a much short hike, and have fewer crowds. I had the place all to myself when I visited in November of 2012. Since visiting, I have heard there are some nice, smaller waterfalls located above upper Calf Creek Falls that are worth seeing. I will have to stop by again next time I'm in the area to check them out. 

DRY FORK

MARCH 2008 & NOVEMBER 2012

DRY FORK SLOT CANYON

DRY FORK SLOT CANYON

DRY FORK SLOT CANYON

ENTRANCE TO DRY FORK SLOT

NEAR THE BEGINNING

DRY FORK SLOT CANYON

DRY FORK SLOT CANYON

DRY FORK SLOT CANYON

Dry Fork is a pleasant slot canyon located 26 miles down Hole-in-the-Rock road near Escalante. The road is a bit rough, but I was able to make it fine in a Corolla both times I visited. Dry Fork is most famous for being the gateway to Peek-A-Boo, Spooky, and Brimstone Canyons, but it also makes a nice hike in and of itself. From the parking area, the trail will drop steeply down to the bottom of Dry Fork. Once at the bottom, just follow the wash to your left into the Dry Fork narrows. I mistakenly took this to be Peek-A-Boo my first time here, and only discovered it was Dry Fork on my second visit. The narrows section goes for about a mile before opening up. It is nice easy stroll along a sandy path, with no major obstacles. I am not sure why this canyon doesn't get more attention. I actually enjoyed it more than Peek-A-Boo Canyon, which is located just a few hundred feet away. 

BIG HORN CANYON

 MAY 2025

BIG HORN CANYON

BIG HORN CANYON

BIG HORN CANYON

BIG HORN CANYON

BIG HORN CANYON

BIG HORN CANYON

Big Horn Canyon is a pleasant, easily accessible hike located along Hole in the Rock Road that I just recently became aware of. To reach it you will drive 4.5 miles down Hole in the Rock Road to a small parking area, and follow a flat, well-used trail about 1.5 miles to where Big Horn Canyon enters on the left. I'll admit, I was a bit let down by Big Horn Canyon at first. For some reason, I kept expecting it to be much deeper than it was, and so I walked all the way through the main narrows still not thinking I'd made it to the cool part yet. I continued up the canyon another mile or two, which did have some short narrow sections, but nothing as nice as main section at the start. 

On my way back down the canyon, it became cloudy, which made everything look nicer, and helped me to appreciate the beauty of the narrows a bit more. While shallow, they remain pretty tight for a while before opening up. So just know not to expect to get that cave-like feel you get from some of the other slot canyons in the area and just appreciate them for what they are. There is also a West Fork of Big Horn Canyon you can access near the mouth of the Main Fork which I've heard are worth exploring if you have time. 

DEVILS GARDEN

MARCH 2008

DEVILS GARDEN HOODOOS

ROCK FORMATIONS IN DEVILS GARDEN

LONE HOODOO

DEVILS GARDEN

METATE ARCH

DEVILS GARDEN

DEVILS GARDEN

Devils Garden is a nice, interesting stop located approximately twelve miles down Hole-in-the-Rock Road. It is one of the few features along Hole-in-the-Rock Road that doesn't require a long hike to reach. You can drive right up to it. Picnic tables are provided, so it would make a good place to stop and have lunch while traveling to or from another destination on Hole-in-the-Rock Road. It only takes about a half-mile walk to pass by all the hoodoos. Also, keep your eye out for Metate Arch, which is probably the most famous feature in Devils Garden. 

RETURN TO BE'S TRAVELS