Turret Arch

Turret Arch is a sandstone arch with a tall, turret-shaped pillar beside its opening. It sits among the Windows Section’s close-packed fins and arches; the side tower gives this one a different outline from the broad Window openings around it. It’s worth walking up from the lot for a closer look.

The marked route from the Windows parking area reaches North Window, South Window, and Turret Arch. Plan on about one mile round trip for the full walk; it takes 30 to 60 minutes and gains 99 feet. It starts as a gentle gravel climb, then reaches a slope and stone steps near the arches. Return the same way or take a longer primitive route with uneven steps and fewer markers. The first 300 feet may be wheelchair accessible with assistance; reaching the arches means negotiating the slope and steps. Dogs aren’t allowed.

For the classic composition, look through North Window toward Turret Arch. You have to walk up from the lot to get that layered view; North Window is visible from the parking area. From the far side of Turret Arch, the Windows make another view through its opening.

The arches formed where erosion worked through weaker parts of sandstone fins. The rocks here include Jurassic-age layers called the Dewey Bridge and Slick Rock members. Seeing Turret Arch alongside the nearby fins makes the shape of the landscape clearer: openings are cut through connected walls of rock, not scattered as separate boulders.

North Window, Turret Arch, and Double Arch are among several named formations within just over two square miles. A connector trail links the Windows area with the lower Double Arch parking area, so you can explore both clusters on the same outing. Toilets at the Windows trailhead are open year-round; there’s no drinking water there. The area is popular, and parking pressure comes up repeatedly, so leave some slack for finding a space.