Paradise Rim, Turtle Wall Trail,
Halfway Wash Trail
| Paradise Canyon Loop Paradise Rim, Turtle Wall Trail, Halfway Wash Trail |
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The Paradise Canyon trail is a short singletrack loop right on the border of St. George. Located in the Red Cliffs Desert Preserve, it connects to the paved Snow Canyon Loop and to the singletrack Beck Hill and Gila trails. Formerly a fairly technical ride, the trail has been buffed up. The Halfway Wash trail is an easy ride. The Turtle Wall trail is early-intermediate technical and easy aerobic. The Paradise Rim side of the loop has some advanced tech stuff. Just walk the spots that make you nervous. |
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Photo above: View north from the Paradise Rim side of the loop. All photos June 9, 2002 by Bruce. |
| This is a good ride for a "quickie," or a nice starting ride for
beginners. Hard-core bikers may want to hit the side trails towards the rim of
Snow Canyon, or maybe do a couple of loops. The extended trails can be reached
via Beck Hill, or by turning right at the summit of the loop. (Maps of the
trails in the Desert Reserve are available for sale. I found one at Red Rock
Bicycle in St. George.) I'm describing the loop that local residents ride. They
come into the Desert Reserve from the south, connecting via the paved Snow
Canyon or Halfway Wash trails. If you're shopping for a parking spot, I'd suggest you start at Chuckwalla, descend to the bottom, cross the wash, then climb Turtle Wall to Paradise Rim. An alternative loop is to ride up Becks Hill trail, turn left onto Paradise Rim, then descent Turtle Wall. Becks Hill has some sand sections, and is an upper-intermediate route. |
| The loop is 3.3 miles in length, with about 380 vertical
feet of climbing. A strong rider can complete the loop in less than a
half-hour, assuming no stops to admire the view. The trail is open
year-round. In the summer, you'd want to ride early in the morning to
avoid the heat.
This is the Turtle Wall side of the loop. Is this trail buffed or what? But wait, it gets fun when you climb along the rock wall you see on the horizon. |
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I'd recommend riding counter-clockwise: Go up on the Turtle
Wall trail, then roll down the less-buff Paradise Rim trail. At the time
of my ride, there were some side-trails off Paradise Rim. Heading
downhill, it's obvious where to aim the bike.
We're looking southwest, with the Paradise Rim trail in the foreground and Green Valley below.
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| The ride along the Turtle Wall is the highlight of this
loop. Take time to admire the rock formations and appreciate the views.
When you arrive at the top, you'll be looking west on the edge of the
cliff. Below you is Santa Clara and Ivins. If you choose to continue
exploring, you can head towards the edge of Snow Canyon on the Gila trail
or Scout Cave trail.
Handlebar view along the rock wall that keeps turtles from wandering up onto the highway. |
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The Paradise Canyon Homeowners Association does not want you to park on their private streets, under threat of towing. This is the subdivision at the south end of the loop. Please find a parking spot at the Chuckwalla trailhead (on Bluff St about 1/3 mile past the light), at Royal Oaks Park, or at one of the Snow Canyon Parkway public parking areas. You can ride your bike to the streetside trailhead in the subdivision by turning off the Snow Canyon paved trail at Halfway Wash. Another view of the trail along the Turtle Wall. |
| Riding Notes, from Paradise Canyon
Trailhead: 0.0 At curve in road, singletrack heads to fence Cross fence, keep R as trail merges from L 0.5 Fork, keep R (straight) to "Turtle Wall" GPS N 37° 08.687' W 113° 36.789' 0.65 Fork, keep L (R = Chuckwalla & Beck Hill) 0.75 Straight, up onto rock then L (R = Beck Hill) 0.9 Connector to wide-track, keep straight |
1.2 Widetrack comes in on L, keep straight 1.6 Reach ridgetop, admire view, turn L (R = Gila Trail) GPS N 37° 09.219' W 113° 37.385' 1.8 Fork (straight = view, L downhill = trail) 1.9 Keep R, follow ridge down 2.8 Back at first fork, go R 3.3 Back at trailhead |
| Getting there, Chuckwalla Trailhead: Go north on Bluff Street until you're
leaving down and starting uphill. Go straight through the traffic light at
Snow
Canyon Parkway. Watch on your left for a log fence and the
"Chuckwalla Trailhead" sign. Turn into the parking area. The
trailhead is a stepover at the north end. There's another entry in the
west trailer parking area.
Facilities: Bathrooms at the Chuckwalla trailhead. Other fun stuff: Well-used rock-climbing walls (you'll notice the chalk) along the Chuckwalla Trail. |
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| Riding resources for this trail: Single-page riding guide GPS track files (right-click and "Save as..."): Garmin GPX High-res topo (200 KB): View Lodging, camping, shops: Links to St. George area resources |
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