RT Cathedral Rock

Natural sandstone butte on the Sedona skyline and one of the most-photographed sights in Arizona

General Information

Length:

Approximately 1.2–1.5 miles round trip

Elevation Gain:

About 550–750 feet

Difficulty:

Moderate to strenuous

Hours:

Open daily from sunrise to sunset

Fees:

Red Rock Pass required: $5 per vehicle per day
Weekly pass: $15
Annual pass: $20

Pet Policy:

Dogs are allowed but must be kept on a leash; not recommended due to steep scrambling sections

Closest cities with hotels:

Sedona (3 mi)

Seasons:

Fall and spring are best; summer is very hot and winter can be icy in shaded areas

Location:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/H9q9V7kT8cA6rP8y7Cathedral Rock Trailhead, Back O Beyond Rd, Sedona, AZ 86351

Website:

fs.usda.gov

How to Get There

From Sedona (3 mi): Take AZ-179 south, turn right onto Back O Beyond Road, and follow it to the Cathedral Rock Trailhead parking area at the end of the road.

Overview

Cathedral Rock is a natural sandstone butte on the Sedona skyline and one of the most-photographed sights in Arizona.

The Cathedral Rock trail (USFS Trail #170) is a popular short, steep ascent from the Back O' Beyond trailhead to the saddle points or "gaps" in Cathedral Rock.

Geologically, Cathedral Rock is carved from the Permian Schnebly Hill formation, a redbed sandstone formed from coastal sand dunes near the shoreline of the ancient Pedregosa Sea. Ripple marks are prominent along the lower Cathedral Rock trail, and a black basalt dike may be seen in the first saddle.

Cathedral Rock Trail

More of a rock climb than a hike, this trail is unshaded and steep and difficult in places. Follow the basket cairns across the wash and up the moderate slope toward the spires. At 0.25 mile, the trail emerges on a broad ledge with nice views. Then, it ascends steeply over bald rock and in a shallow cleft with a few toeholds notched into the rock to help on the steeper places.

Emerging on a small knob, cairns show the way up and across several ledges toward the deep drainage ahead which it follows, climbing moderately steeply to the top of a wide saddle between two spires. Great views all along, but quite spectacular from the top. An unmaintained path leads south along the west base of the spires giving access, with short climbs, to two more saddles between sheer rock faces and a close-up view of an exposed lava dike at the first. Return by the same route for a 1.5 mile hike.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cathedral Rock", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0

This article uses material from usda.gov "Cathedral Rock Trail No. 170"