Babylon Arch Trail starts at a small BLM lot off the old US-91 alignment north of Hurricane, drops down a sandstone slope, and ends at a free-standing arch over the Virgin River corridor. The whole hike is short — 2.5 miles round trip — but the descent and the river setting at the bottom make it feel like a real outing rather than a casual stroll.
The Babylon name
The trailhead, the wash, and the arch all carry the name from the late-19th-century Babylon Mill site, a small mining-era settlement on the Virgin River that's now ghost-town remnants. There's nothing left of the actual townsite that's worth seeking out — the BLM doesn't promote the historical context heavily and the arch is the destination.
The walk down
From the trailhead the trail crosses a flat desert bench, then drops down a sandy slope cut by short slickrock benches. The descent isn't long but it's steep enough to be careful on, particularly with kids. The lower section eases out as you approach the river corridor, with the arch becoming visible through gaps in the cottonwoods. The arch itself is a free-standing Navajo sandstone span, smaller than Wilson Arch or the named Zion arches but a real arch with the river running below it. From under the span you can see the cliff line continuing both upstream and downstream along the Virgin.
The river
The Virgin River at this point runs through a shallow gorge of red Navajo sandstone, with cottonwoods along the banks and sandbar pockets between. In spring and after monsoon storms the river runs muddy and full; in late summer and fall it can be ankle-deep in places. Wading across to the far bank is feasible in low water if you want to extend the day, but there's no marked trail beyond the river — you'd be walking up the canyon bottom on your own.
The climb back up
The 300-foot elevation gain reads as light on paper but the loose sand on the upper section is the kind of footing that punishes you on the climb out. Most parties take longer to get back to the trailhead than they did to descend. Bring water; the round-trip in summer requires more than the listed mileage suggests.
Tortoise rules apply
Babylon is inside the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, which means desert tortoise habitat. Leashed dogs only, on-trail travel, no off-trail wandering on the upper bench. The bench section between the trailhead and the descent is prime tortoise terrain in March–May and September–October.
The flash flood reality
The trail descends into the Virgin River corridor, which drains hundreds of square miles of Pine Valley Mountain and the upper Virgin watershed. Storms a long way upstream can deliver flash pulses to the river even when the local sky is clear. The arch itself is well above flood level, but the lower trail section can be exposed if a major storm is dumping in the upper basin. Standard summer-monsoon rules apply: check the weather, don't be in the corridor if storms are forecast in the watershed.
Where it fits
Babylon Arch is one of the more interesting short walks on the I-15 corridor between St. George and Hurricane. It's not the hike you drive across the country for, but if you're in the area for a few days and want a quick second outing after Snow Canyon or Red Cliffs Recreation Area, Babylon delivers a quiet arch hike that most visitors don't know about. The trailhead is a fifteen-minute drive from Hurricane and twenty-five from downtown St. George.