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Thursday, June 25, 2026

Turtle Wall Arch

Turtle Wall Arch



Saint George, Utah is full of beautiful red cliffs but at first glance it doesn't seem to have much in the way of natural rock arches or natural bridges.  Our extended family has been vacationing in Saint George for a few years, and whenever I'm on vacation one of my very favorite pass-times is arch hunting.  Each year I've done some research before the trip to find a few arches that we can visit during our time in Saint George.  

In June of 2026 we took a short hike in Saint George to the Turtle Wall Arch.  You can access the Turtle Wall Trail on both ends, but we chose the east end of the trail - the Chuckwalla Trail Head, located here:  Chuckwalla Trailhead   The Chuckwalla trail runs into the Turtle Wall Trail:


We hiked to Turtle Wall Arch beginning at sunrise because we knew there wouldn't be any shade in the day, and hiking in the heat is not very fun.  We parked in Chuckwalla parking lot, which costs $15.  You scan a sign in the parking lot and pay for parking with your phone.  We hiked from the Chuckwalla parking lot until the trail met up with Turtle Wall Hiking Trail.  We followed Turtle Wall hiking trail all the way to the end, and Turtle Wall itself is roughly halfway in between both ends of Turtle Wall trail.  The arch is located here: Turtle Wall Arch

You can see the shadow of an arch in this Google Maps screenshot, but this is not Turtle Rock Arch.
This google maps screenshot shows the opening of Turtle Wall Arch

From Chuckwalla parking lot, Turtle Wall Arch is exactly 1.05 miles.  If you hike from Paradise Rim on the west end of the Turtle Wall Trail, the arch is .79 miles in.  The trail is well marked and there are a lot of walkers, runners, and bikers on it, even in the early morning hours.  The red rock is worn white where thousands of people have walked the trail.  It is very mild and not at all strenuous.

Turtle Wall Arch is not a very big arch, but if you walk around to the back of it, you can climb up inside and sit down to enjoy the view of the surrounding area.  Turtle Rock does resemble a turtle, but the arch is actually not in Turtle Rock, it is in a fin behind Turtle Rock, which I'm guessing is called Turtle Wall.  You can't see the arch opening until you are standing beside the fin, so don't be discouraged if you come upon Turtle Rock and don't see the arch anywhere in sight.  It is there, just continue following the trail.  There are lot of fun little openings and tiny arches or pockets on this hike.  I read somewhere that there's a slot canyon in the area, but I didn't see where it was located at any point on the trail.  I also read that there are desert tortoises on the trail, but we didn't see any early in the morning on our hike.  I suspect they come out in the heat of the day.  If you follow Turtle Wall Trail all the way to the end, you run into Paradise Rim Trail, and the view of Saint George is spectacular from there!  


Entrance to the Chuckwalla Trailhead parking lot
There are toilets in the Chuckwalla Trailhead parking lot

Scan the QR code to pay for parking before beginning your hike



The parking lot -- we started at sunrise















There's a tiny arch opening in the rocks






The trail is very easy to follow and very busy with traffic









the sun starting to rise on the red mountains



















This is where the Turtle Wall trail veers off from the Chuckwalla Trail








Turtle Rock - the fin behind it is where Turtle Wall Arch is

Turtle Rock


This fun tiny opening is in Turtle Rock






My husband peeking through one of the holes in Turtle Rock


The fin in the background is where Turtle Wall Arch is

Turtle Rock has lots of fun openings


Turtle Wall Arch from the side

This sign keeps you on the trail, and just to the left is the arch


Turtle Wall Arch


another small opening

Turtle Wall Arch

My husband inside Turtle Wall Arch




walking around the fin

It is easy to climb up the back side


and it is easy to climb inside the arch


the arch opening from behind

view from inside the arch



looking up from inside the arch

me under the arch





the inside of the arch

me inside the arch




view from inside the arch

view from inside the arch


looking back up at the arch after I climbed out

Turtle Rock from the other side



fun openings on the other side as well






looking back at Turtle Wall Arch




















another tiny arch on the trail




































This is where Turtle Wall trail ends and crosses Paradise Rim.  The view from the rim is spectacular!


view from Paradise Rim






heading back on the trail to the Chuckwalla Trailhead where we parked

heading back on the trail































our last views of Turtle Wall Arch



the last view of the fin that houses Turtle Wall Arch

Turtle Rock


heading back on Chuckwalla Trail















finishing up the trail

This is the distance of Turtle Wall Arch from the Chuckwalla Trailhead, just over one mile

This is the distance of Turtle Wall Arch from the other end of the Turtle Wall Trail, where it intersects Paradise Rim

Other Arches in the St. George Area











Here are some resources to enhance your hiking experience in and around St. George Utah.
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Turtle Wall Arch

Turtle Wall Arch Saint George, Utah is full of beautiful red cliffs but at first glance it doesn't seem to have much in the way of natur...