Peek A Boo is also known as Red Canyon. It is a beautiful, fun, family-friendly slot canyon located just east of Hwy 89, north of Kanab. This is a great outing for someone who wants a safe slot canyon experience or is just learning about canyoneering. It is also a wonderful canyon adventure for kids.

From the trailhead, you just hike up the canyon, negotiating a couple of minor obstacles. Go until you get tired or reach the end, which is an unpassable dryfall. Then you come back the way you went in. There is no chance of getting lost.

This has become a popular hike and you will probably encounter other hikers. It is hiked year-round. Spring and fall days are ideal but summer is not bad because the canyon walls provide shade. Winter temps can be chilly in the canyon but it can be enjoyable hiking if you have proper gear.

The hike is about 0.7 miles round trip. Most kids enjoy climbing on rocks and can make the trek with no trouble. Younger kids or people who are not sure on their feet may require a steadying hand in spots. The bottom of the wash is sandy and you do have to climb rocks, but the obstacles are minor and there is little elevation gain.

Watch for the ancient Moki steps carved into the wall halfway up the canyon.

The canyon is deep, with red walls that have been carved by flash floods. The walls are beautiful, sculpted, and very photogenic. Some debris has been left in the canyon by floods. It gives a sense as to the power of the water that occasionally thunders through. Never enter this or other slot canyons if there is a chance of rain anywhere in the drainage.

The most difficult part of this outing is getting to the trailhead. The access road has deep sand and can only be driven by high clearance 4-wheel drive vehicles. AWD crossover vehicles will not make it. The turnoff from Hwy 89 is clearly marked and easy to find. From there, just follow the sandy jeep road east until you drop into the canyon.

Many people utilize guides for this trek, mostly because they do not have a vehicle that can get to the trailhead. Many guides in Kanab and the surrounding area offer treks here.

There is a totally different Peek-A-Boo canyon near Escalante, UT, that is part of the very popular Peek-A-Boo/Spooky Gulch loop. It is also a great hike for families and new canyoneers. It is a little more remote and more difficult than the hike described here.

If you are in the Kanab/East Zion area, this hike is worth a couple of hours.