Historic Babylon and Little Purgatory Loop – Red Cliffs Desert Reserve
While Historic Babylon and Little Purgatory are two separate trails, they are almost always hiked together as a loop. The pictures and map below show the loop as hiked...
Trail Facts
Overview
While Historic Babylon and Little Purgatory are two separate trails, they are almost always hiked together as a loop. The pictures and map below show the loop as hiked starting with the Historic Babylon leg. Because of the the rate of the hike, starting with the Historic Babylon is easiest. Historic Babylon climbs for about 2.7 miles before connecting at the top of the hill with Little Purgatory. At this point, there is a 360 view that showcases Zion National Park, the Hurricane Cliffs, Sandstone Mountain, the Pine Valley Mountains, and the Cottonwood Canyon. Petroglyphs and Dinosaur tracks can be easily accessed a few feet from the trailhead. The loop is a moderately difficult hike that takes almost three hours. Hikers should expect no shade and a steady incline that produces an amazing view at the trail junction.
Know Before You Go
Trail Map
Map of the route “Historic Babylon and Little Purgatory Loop – Red Cliffs Desert Reserve”: 9,397 m, 472 m of climbing and 452 m of descent, elevation between 867 m and 1,159 m, time 02:17:56. It is a loop that starts and ends at 37.20197, -113.34889 (latitude, longitude).
Getting There
From St. George: 21 miles (34 mins driving)
Directions to Trailhead: From St George, head north on I-15 for about 13 miles and take exit 22 to Leeds/Silver Reef. Head north on Hwy 228/Main Street for 2 miles and take a right onto 900 North (there is a sign indicating Red Cliffs National Conservation Area). Follow 900 North for about 4 miles where trailhead is located and marked with a sign.
Trailhead GPS: 37.201917, -113.348833
Trail Report
Coming Soon.
Amazing views from the higher points of the loop. Agree that starting with the Historic Babylon leg is definitely the better idea. The last two miles of the road to the trailhead can get pretty sandy, so 4WD is highly recommended.