This photograph confirms why Spooky Gulch lives up to its name as one of the narrowest, darkest and most claustrophobic canyons within Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. As a small upstream tributary to Coyote Gulch in the Escalante Canyons of southern Utah, this area is protected as part of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Spooky is one of the most accessible and therefore one of the most popular slot canyons for day hikers in the monument. An hour of strenuous exertions is required to wriggle through its narrow confines. The acne-like look of the canyon walls is a result of small erosion-resistant mineralized spheres embedded in the softer Navajo sandstone matrix. As this sandstone erodes, these spheres drop out of the sandstone and litter the surrounding landscape with what appears to be millions of marbles. This vertical photograph was captured with a 6x7 format camera. All photos in these galleries may be ordered as fine art framed prints or for stock photography usage.