Conditions Right Now
Use sunset as your turnaround alarm.
Why Hike This
Peekaboo is what you do after Queen's Garden has already sold you on hoodoos. It runs deeper into the amphitheater than the popular loops, so the walls close around you and the crowds thin out, and the Wall of Windows is the payoff. The trail drops in from Bryce Point and is shared with horses and mules through the summer, so expect to step aside and let them pass. The park suggests hiking it clockwise.
The Trail
Deeper hoodoo immersion; Wall of Windows is unreal.
Heat note: desert country - in summer start at dawn and carry more water than feels reasonable.
Pack Loadout (Hard)
3 liters water or hydration pack, hiking boots, layers, headlamp, trail mix and jerky, trekking poles, first-aid kit.
Official figures differ. NPS lists about 670 feet of elevation change, where our figure is cumulative gain over the whole loop (NPS). Our distance and gain come from GPS tracks, so treat both as approximate.
Getting There
Make it a weekend: Sunset Campground (Bryce) (Camping, 1 mi) · North Campground (Bryce) (Camping, 1 mi) · Sevier River (Upper) (Fishing, 16 mi) · Panguitch Lake (Fishing, 27 mi)
More hikes nearby: Queen's Garden + Navajo Loop (Hike, 0 mi) · Fairyland Loop (Hike, 2 mi) · Mossy Cave & Waterfall (Hike, 4 mi) · Angel's Palace (Hike, 12 mi)
Quick Answers
- How long is the Peekaboo Loop hike?
- 5.5 miles round trip with 1571 feet of elevation gain.
- How hard is Peekaboo Loop?
- Hard. Kid rating: 2 out of 5.
- When should I hike Peekaboo Loop?
- Best season: Spring-Fall.
- Why hike Peekaboo Loop?
- Because it puts you under the Wall of Windows and among hoodoos the rim viewpoints never show you. Plan on three to four hours and a steady climb back out at over 8,000 feet. Horses use the same tread in summer, so the surface can be chewed up and dusty.