Ten Miles North of Kanab, the Sandstone Closes Overhead
A guided half day out of Kanab into a slot canyon about ten miles north of town. The operator drives the unpaved approach, then walks you through the narrows and back. Rated one out of five for difficulty on the operator's own tour page.
Kanab sits low in Utah's red-rock country, a quiet grid of streets with cliffs stacked behind it. About ten miles north, a wash cuts down into Navajo sandstone and keeps cutting until the walls stand close enough to touch on both sides at once. That is Peek-a-Boo.
Getting there is the part people underestimate. The approach is unpaved, so the operator drives it in off-road vehicles with a guide at the wheel. The walking is the easy half. The hike is 1.5 miles round trip, and the operator rates it one out of five for difficulty.
Departures run Monday through Saturday from a storefront on 100 East in Kanab. Four vehicles go out a day, the first at 8:00 AM. The booking below covers the drive, the guide and the canyon.
Peek-a-Boo Slot Canyon Guided Hike (Small Group)Two to three hours from Kanab. Off-road transfer, a guide, and a 1.5-mile round-trip walk through the slot canyon.www.viator.comA Mile and a Half, Mostly in Shade
The canyon floor is sand and close to level. The operator describes the terrain as flat, with a few places where you scramble over boulders, and mostly shaded. That shade does real work in July. The operator puts the inside of the slot at about ten degrees cooler than the ground outside it.
The listing calls the walk suitable for all physical fitness levels, and good for any age group that can cover about a mile on unpaved ground. Nobody is hurrying you through. The operator's own tour page says you are welcome to take all the pictures you'd like.
The Drive Out Is Half the Tour
The canyon is about ten miles north of town and the last of that is dirt. Guests ride out in the company's off-road vehicles with a guide driving. The listing describes its drivers as knowledgeable of the area and experienced off road.
That ride is worth thinking about before you book. The listing does not recommend this tour for travelers with spinal injuries, or for anyone who struggles with bumpy, winding off-road drives. Service animals are allowed. Specialized infant seats are available.
Four Departures a Day, Six Days a Week
Vehicles leave at 8:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Saturday. The operator's own tour page and the booking calendar list the same four times. The operator attaches one condition to the last one: the 5:00 PM run goes daylight permitting.
A single booking holds up to eight travelers, and the listing accepts a party of one. The tour is not cancelled for want of numbers, so a solo booking still goes out. The per-person rate is quoted from two travelers up, so one person will see a different figure at checkout. The operator says a group tour rarely runs over ten people.
Weather is the one thing that calls it off. Bad weather is listed as grounds for cancellation, and the canyon runs year round otherwise. Cancel at least 24 hours out for a full refund.
Sign the Waiver, and Carry Your Own Water
Everyone walking into the canyon signs a liability waiver first. It is all electronic and there is nothing to print. Parents sign for anyone under 18, and the operator asks that it be done before you arrive.
Water is the one place the two sources disagree. The listing says the operator provides water and snacks on all tours. The operator's own page for this canyon tells you to bring your own water for hiking. Go with the operator and carry a bottle. The slot is cooler than the desert, and you are still standing in open Utah sun at either end of the walk.
The vehicle leaves from 310 South 100 East, Suite 11, and brings you back to the same door. Take the 8:00 AM and you are back in Kanab with most of the day still open. Take the 2:00 PM and you reach the narrows in the warm part of the afternoon. The operator says it shares the canyon more often than it used to, and that even so they are often alone in there, passing whoever else is around.