2 Utah slot canyons make for easy, fun hike

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument is located successful southbound cardinal Utah. Established successful 1996, it encompasses astir 1 cardinal acres. Grand Staircase boasts immoderate of the Southwest’s astir awesome scenery, accessible not lone by traveling its scenic byways and backways but besides by mounting retired connected foot. Besides its waterways, arches and different fabulous stone formations, it is location to spectacular canyons — including hundreds of slot canyons.

Many of these slot canyons are hard to reach, immoderate adjacent taking a afloat time oregon longer, but a fewer are easier to get to and tin beryllium conscionable arsenic rewarding. One favourite hike is to 2 slot canyons, Spooky and Peek-A-Boo. Both tin easy beryllium visited successful 1 fractional of a day. This hike is an particularly large 1 of you person adventurous children with you, arsenic agelong arsenic they tin grip the 3.5-mile round-trip distance, 285 ft elevation summation and immoderate stone scrambling.

Mid-September and October thin to beryllium champion for a visit, arsenic autumn upwind is usually rather unchangeable successful this region, with clear, sunny days. In September expect daytime temperatures successful the 70s and 80s, and successful October, the 60s and 70s. The trailhead is located astatine 4,950 feet, which means you tin astir apt expect temperatures astir 10-15 degrees cooler than successful Las Vegas.

From the trailhead the hike starts disconnected connected slickrock, wherever you volition beryllium utilizing cairns arsenic your guide. About a mile down you’ll get successful the sandy Dry Fork Wash. Cross implicit to the different broadside and you volition spot the opening to Peek-A-Boo canyon. It’s astir a 12-foot ascent and scramble into the rima of the canyon, but determination is often a upright log oregon chap hiker to assistance you up, oregon you tin usage the man-made sandstone indentations, which immoderate telephone Moki steps, to enter.

This is simply a corkscrew canyon carved by water, which means fun, and it’s colorful to boot, afloat of red, orangish and pinkish sandstone. It’s a large 1 to explore; successful immoderate areas you volition beryllium connected your knees, and you volition find tons of absorbing arches and formations on the way. You tin marque your mode up astir two-thirds of a mile to wherever you volition erstwhile again spot unfastened sky. The easiest mode retired to instrumentality is the mode you came.

Once you instrumentality to Dry Fork Wash, you volition adjacent locomotion downstream astir a half-mile to scope Spooky Canyon. To find it, support an oculus retired connected your near for the cairns that are straight earlier a ample reddish sandstone outcropping. You volition hike down the enactment for astir 5 minutes to find Spooky. I’ve seen snakes hanging astir the opening of the canyon, truthful ticker your step. A headlamp comes successful useful to debar immoderate surprises. Anyone who is claustrophobic volition so deliberation this 1 is spooky and should see waiting extracurricular — this is simply a truly constrictive passage. Walk successful and question arsenic acold arsenic you consciousness comfortable, possibly adjacent going farther than you deliberation you tin by walking sideways to spot a spot more.

Getting there: From the municipality of Escalante you’ll thrust astir 12 miles connected Utah Route 12 and spell close onto Hole-in-the-Rock Road. Take this for 26 miles, past crook near onto Dry Fork Road for 1.5 miles (staying near astatine the fork). Except for the paved main roads, each roads successful this country are gravel, clay and sand, and if it has been adust weather, a high-clearance rider conveyance with precise bully disconnected roadworthy tires should get you there. If rainfall threatens oregon determination has been caller rain, enactment out, arsenic adjacent a four-wheel-drive conveyance tin get stuck.

While autumn is an perfect clip to question here, beryllium alert that flash flooding tin inactive hap immoderate time of the year. Too galore radical person mislaid their lives heading into slot canyons connected a privation and a prayer. Always halt successful astatine the visitant halfway earlier mounting out, and inquire astir weather. Overnight permits for car camping and backpacking are easy obtained astatine immoderate trailheads and campgrounds oregon astatine the visitant center. Escalante Interagency Visitor Center successful Escalante, Utah, is unfastened 7 days a week done mid-November, past Monday-Friday done mid-March. Call 435-826-5499 for much information.