bobspirko.ca | Home | Canada Trips | US Trips | Hiking | Snowshoeing | MAP | About
Paradise Rim and Turtle Wall Loop
Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, Utah
April 25, 2023
Distance: 6.6 km (4.1 mi)
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 142 m (466 ft)
Crossing desert flats, traversing a low ridge and following the base of tall red cliffs, Paradise Rim Trail and Turtle Wall Trail cover a lot of ground and a lot of beautiful scenery. We thought reaching the ridgetop would be the highlight of the trip, but we were more excited to spot a desert tortoise in the red cliffs. Tortoises had recently emerged from hibernation, and we were lucky to see one.
The hike begins at the Chuckwalla Trailhead ten minutes north of St. George. Dinah and I followed the trail, passing low red cliffs before coming to the beginning of the loop. We turned left onto Halfway Marsh Trail, following it briefly to Paradise Rim Trail. After crossing a desert expanse that held a smattering of blooming wildflowers, we started up the unnamed ridge. From the ridgetop, the view south was marred with suburbs, but the red cliffs stretching in a long line southeast grabbed our attention. After taking photos, we continued down the ridge and turned onto Turtle Wall Trail.
The trail follows the base of red sandstone blocks with rounded edges. Just after we passed a window in the rock, we spotted a large desert tortoise walking on the trail. Although we hovered nearby, it seemed undisturbed. It kept on course, whatever that was, pausing sometimes to snack on a plant. Dinah and I watched it leave the trail before we continued our hike. We finished the loop gratified we had seen the best of it.
From Chuckwalla Trailhead, the little ridge we climbed appears dark red in the centre
Dinah stops to watch climbers
Hiking down Chuckwalla Trail
The trail passes cliffs and outcrops
We turned left onto Halfway Marsh Trail but returned on Turtle Wall Trail on the right
We turned right onto Paradise Rim Trail
The ridge was still far away
Woolly daisy
Mariposa lilies
We began to see details of the ridge
Looking back
We saw a few rock wrens
Starting up the ridge
The gray mountain west is Jarvis Peak
Red Bluff Hill lies south
Rocks line the ridgetop
Standing on the summit
Heading down the ridge. The intersection for Turtle Wall Trail appears ahead.
Turtle Wall Trail follows the base of the cliffs seen on the right
I ventured out onto a jutting cliff while Dinah continued along the trail
The trail continues along the base of the cliffs
Notch-leaved phacelia
Mojave prickly pear
Looking back at the ridge
There's a window next to the trail
Dinah watches the desert tortoise
Washington (4.1 mi, 3363 ft, 404 ft)