The Ultimate Southwest Vacation includes Zion National Park, Utah!
Stay in Mount Carmel Junction, the heart of the parks, and
visit the treasures of the Southwest.
Zion Park 12 miles
Grand Staircase 9 miles
Sand Dunes 11 miles
Dixie Forest 22 miles
Cedar Breaks 45 miles
Red Canyon 47 miles
Coyote Butte 57 miles
Bryce Canyon 60 miles
North Rim 85 miles
Toroweap 90 miles
Plan your Zion National Park Vacation with our Utah Maps and
Information
In these pages you will find insiders information on Zion National
Park lodging, adventures and hikes. This detailed guide includes road maps, park
maps, pictures, trail beta, backpacking, history, fees, geology, flora, fauna,
campgrounds, things for kids to do and even information on Zion's hidden treasures.
Making summer memories in the Utah National Parks and National
Monuments.
Directions to Zion National Park From Salt Lake City: Travel I-15 south, past Beaver.
Exit on Hwy 20. Follow US-89 to Mount Carmel Junction. Take U-9 to Zion's east
entrance. From Arizona: Travel 89A through Fredonia, Arizona
and Kanab Utah. Follow US-89 to to Mount Carmel Junction. Take U-9 to the east
park entrance. From Las Vegas: Travel I-15 north. Take exit 16 and
travel through Hurricane. Make a right on U-9 at the second traffic light in
LaVerkin. Continue on U-9 to the south entrance of the park. U-9 through Zion
National Park is always open and is also called the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway.
Peek-a-Boo slot canyon offers an easy stroll through a beautiful slot canyon.
GPS Coordinates
WGS84 Datum
Highway 89 & K2565
37°08.698 N
112°34.078 W
Turn onto K2605
37°08.710 N
112°33.885 W
First "Y" in road
37°09.522 N
112°33.597 W
Enter dry streambed
37°10.643 N
112°32.827 W
Red Canyon Slot
37°10.772 N
112°33.553 W
Beta: Coordinates and other trail and canyoneering information
by Zion Park search and rescue veteran team member Bo
Beck and www.zionnational-park.com author Tanya Milligan.
To post trip reports, offer corrections, updates, or for more
information please visit the Zion
National Park Forum
Suggested
Gear: A sturdy pair of shoes are recommend to hike the trails in Zion National
Park. Many quality shoes will help grip the rocks and prevent injury. Experienced
Zion hikers and canyoneers like the La Sportiva Exum Ridge. This shoe is great
for hiking, bouldering and canyoneering.
Red Canyon
or as it's called by the locals:
Peek-a-Boo
Southern Utah has it's share of unique desertscapes, but the land here offers something different too - slot canyons. Abundant, yet hidden gems, that start out as small cracks in the earth that, overtime water has forced to become deep and narrow sandstone slots. The beauty of these dimly lit chasms entice hikers to explore into their depths. The price of admission into such a canyon often requires long hikes, down-climbing and rappelling skills, as well as an involved knowledge of rope work. Fortunately, there are some slot canyons that can be experienced without such a hefty price. Red Canyon, or as locals call it: Peek-a-boo, does not require any hiking to get to, but instead is an adventure that has the thrill of 4-wheeling on deep sand through a desert landscape of junipers, pinions, yuccas and cacti. The trip culminates with an easy stroll through a slender passage that will tantalize photographer and hiker alike with a visual array of warm reds, cool browns and hot oranges windswept into rippled and fluted sandstone walls. This adventure could be combined with one or two other local slot canyons, such as Red Hollow and Red Cave.
Peek-a-Boo at a Glance
Photo Album: Pictures
Maps: Driving Map
Day Hike: Yes Distance: .75 miles round trip. Average Hiking Time: 1 hour - 3 hours driving Equipment: 4WD ACA Canyon Rating: IA Difficulty: Easy Permits: Not required.
Trailhead: Best Friends Animal Sanctuary Trailend: Same as trailhead. Trail Access: Sandy 4WD path. Off the Beaten Path: yes Best Season: Year-round, when weather cooperates. Hazards: Hiking in slot canyons presents
a very real danger from flash flooding. Do not hike this trail if it is raining.
Remember a storm far off can trigger a flash flood.
See our vacation planning section for classic Zion National Park trails or glance at our favorite Zion National Park trails list or choose from a complete Zion National Park hiking guide.
Begin by loading your 4WD vehicle with refreshments and gasoline. Be sure to have an air compressor, so that if the need arises you can refill tires after releasing air pressure in order to "float" over the deep sandy road. Bring a trash bag to haul out any trash you might have accumulated.
Angel Canyon - From the Chevron in Mount Carmel Junction, drive 9.4 miles south on Highway 89, toward Kanab. Look on the left side of the road for mile-post 72 and the turn-off to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes on the right side. Just past these landmarks make a left turn onto the next road, which will be K2565. You will see the road marker once you have turned. This is an unmarked entrance into the Best Friends Animal Society and Angel Canyon. Almost immediately you are going to turn off the paved road (.2 miles). Look for K2605 on the left. This is the deep sandy path you will navigate for the next 3 miles. Be sure to put the vehicle into 4WD and set your trip-meter. After driving for a mile on K2605 there will be a cattle guard and then the road will fork. Stay on the main road as it veers to the right. At 1.8 miles another fork is encountered. Turn right at this fork to avoid a steep hill and even deeper sand. At almost the 3 mile mark the road passes through an open fence, stay right and 30 yards farther the road intersects with a wide wash. Turn left and follow the dry creekbed for a mile to arrive at the mouth of "Peek-a-boo" slot canyon.
Peek-a-Boo - From where you parked you can see the slot canyon to the west. The canyon is usually dry and is only about .35 miles long. Notice how some sections are warmer and others are flushed with chilly air as the slot twists and turns, opens and narrows and the canyon floor rises and falls throughout the short hike. Stripped logs, twigs, and other debris wedged up high offer evidence of past violent flash floods that have raged through the waterway and forged the sandy chasm. The enclosed setting of a weathered canyon with towering walls, abstract designs and dramatic lighting combine for a photographer's camera, as oils on a canvas do for an artist's brush, providing the ideal tools to create a perfect image. Most sections in this slot are well lit, but a few places can only be captured with a steady hand or the use of a tripod. All too soon a large chockstone, 15 feet up, wedged between the walls ends exploration.
Shaman's Needle - Back at the slot entrance look for a small drainage that enters from the north. Taking a casual stroll just a mere 100 yards up this sandy bottom wash will reveal a "pencil stick" stone structure. To exit, return the same way as you drove in.
Just as a stream flows smoothly on as long as it encounters no obstruction, so the nature of man and animal is such that we never really notice or become conscious of what is agreeable to our will; if we are to notice something, our will has to have been thwarted, has to have experienced a shock of some kind.
