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Canyoneering Route Description

Spooky and Peek-A-Boo Slots - 2A I
Escalante National Monument, Utah

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Pictures 05-12-07
Pictures 06-11-05

Quick Facts

05-12-07, 2 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 4.5 hours)
06-11-05, 2 people, 7 Day (Travel time in route 3.5 hours)

Distance - 2.9 miles Total, 0.6 miles Technical
Rappels - 0 Rappels, Longest Rappel N/A.

See the Canyoneer Trip Report Explanation Notes page for an explanation of how the technical mileage is determined.

Gear Used for Canyon

No special gear is needed as this is a level 2 canyon.  Be sure to bring water, food and what every you need for a hike.  It can get hot out there.

See the Canyoneer Trip Report Explanation Notes page for an explanation of how the gear used list is determined.

General Comments

This is a very fun hike.  It is easy travel to 2 real nice slots.  The slots have nothing technical but feel like they should.  Parts of Spooky get so tight, larger people will have to crawl to get through.  The bottom at times gests so narrow you can not put your feet flat on the ground.  Peek-A-Boo is a little more wide open but has very twisted walls and arches that make it a must see as well. The route shown on the map is from Dry Fork trailhead, up Spooky Slot, down Peek-A-Boo slot then back to the Dry Fork trailhead the same way.

Getting to the Trailhead and Exit Vehicle (Escape Pod) Parking

To get to the Trailhead

From the city of Escalante drive about 5 miles southeast on Hwy 12 to the turn off for Hole-In-The-Rock road on the right.  The Hole-In-The-Rock road is dirt.  The condition of the road varies a lot with recent rains and road maintenance.  High clearance is recommended.  Travel about 25 miles southeast on Hole-In-The-Rock road to the turn off for the Dry Fork trailhead to the left.  From Hole-In-The-Rock road drive about 0.7 miles to a left turn.  Turn left and continue to the Dry Fork trailhead.  The distance from Hole-In-The-Rock road to the trailhead is about 1.65 miles.

To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod

No need to park a separate exit vehicle.  This route is a loop.

Maps

Map showing entire route.

Click for High-Res version.
Right Click then select "Save Target As" to save the Hi-Res version.

GPS Waypoint Information

Waypoint coordinates are given with the WGS84 datum and in Lat/Lon hddd° mm.mmm' format unless otherwise noted.

Details

Unfortunately I did not take detailed notes for the route. Fortunately the total route is short and pretty easy to follow.  A GPS would definitely help though.

The Canyon / Technical Section:
From the trailhead (tDryFork), go down the sandstone into the wide open area below.  After a short descent you will find a trail which leads toward more sandstone.  Continue down the sandstone to a sandy wash below.   Travel down the wash until you get to a very large wash this should put you close to the exit of Peek-A-Boo (yPeek-A-BooBt).  Do not go up Peek-A-Boo.  Continue downstream in the major wash (right or eastish).  About 0.3 miles downstream in the larger wash, will be a fork (jFrk2SpkyJC).  This small fork is not very noticeable as the area is very wide.  Use the GPS coordinates to locate this spot.  Turn left at the fork and continue another 0.2 miles to the bottom of Spooky slot (ySpookyBt).

The Canyon / Technical Section:
From the bottom of Spooky Slot travel up canyon to the upper end.  Spooky Slot is about 0.3 miles long and one of the most enjoyable non-technical slots I have been in.  It gets very tight in places.  Some spots you need to turn sideways to pass through.  Larger people will need to crawl to pass some spots where walls are wider close to the floor.  There are some areas in Spooky that the bottom is not wide enough to put your foot flat on the ground as you walk.  Long sections of this slot are only 2 or 3 feet wide. 

Near the end of Spooky you will need to scramble up a few spots to get out but nothing is very difficult.   Take your time through this slot!  It is worth taking time to enjoy it!

From the top of Spooky Slot (ySpookyTp) turn left then go up the steep sandy hill.  Follow the faint trails on top of the hill over to the top of Peek-A-Boo Slot (yPeek-A-BooTp).  You will find you need to weave here and there as you find your way along the path but keep in mind the top of Peek-A-Boo is about 0.4 miles due west of the top of Spooky.  I have been here twice and took different paths over to the top of Peek-A-Boo each time.  GPS may be helpful here.

From the top of Pee-A-Boo, travel down canyon to the bottom of the slot.  Peek-A-Boo is also worth taking time to enjoy.  It is more open than Spooky but the walls and arches twist all over.  At the end of the slot is about a 12 foot drop marking the exit of Peek-A-Boo slot (yPeek-A-BooTp).  The drop can be navigated easily but some may enjoy having a rope held for them for safety.

The Exit:
After dropping out of Peek-A-Boo travel slightly downstream in the wash to find the smaller wash you entered from.  Retrace your steps back to the trailhead.

Links to Pictures are at the top of the page.

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