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Cathedral Rock Trail

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Difficult Difficult
 4.8 (80)
  1. Areas
  2. AZ
  3. …Flagstaff and Northern AZ
  4. …Sedona
  5. Cathedral Rock
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“A short slickrock scramble to a viewpoint from the saddle near Cathedral Rock. ”

Alexander Vengerovsky
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Map Key

1.0

Miles

1.6

KM

Out and Back

4,570' 1,393 m

High

4,046' 1,233 m

Low

526' 160 m

Up

525' 160 m

Down

20%

Avg Grade (11°)

37%

Max Grade (21°)

Dogs Leashed

Features Geological Significance · Views · Wildflowers

Family Friendly Slickrock scrambling fun for the whole family

Thursday through Sunday, you cannot park at the trailhead. You must use the Sedona Shuttle. Monday through Wednesday, parking is usually available at the trailhead.

Overview

One of Sedona's top vortex sites.

Need to Know

This is a desert trail! Mind the sun and bring enough water

Description

This trail is fairly straightforward to find - just follow the cairns weaving up the path towards the Cathedral prominence and try not to get side-tracked by the Templeton Trail crossing after scrambling out of the river bed.

You're on sandstone most of the way except for a few dirt sections. There are some sections that may require a slight scramble up loose rocks. There is one boulder at the mid-point which which may require you to use your hands, but is fairly easy to get up.

Please make sure not to make any marks on the rocks.

Contacts

Land Manager: USFS - Coconino National Forest Office

Shared By:

Alexander Vengerovsky
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.8 from 80 votes

#1

in Cathedral Rock

#44

Overall
  4.8 from 80 votes
5 Star
81%
4 Star
16%
3 Star
3%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#1

in Cathedral Rock

#5

in Arizona

#44

Overall
55 Views Last Month
7,530 Since Feb 23, 2017
Difficult Difficult
0%
1%
10%
16%
68%
4%
Add a Photo

Photos

On the edge at the top...
Jan 1, 2019 near West Se…, AZ
Views of Sedona
Jan 1, 2019 near West Se…, AZ
Crest the climb to Cathedral Rock to bask in this phenomenal view. Bring a snack to enjoy, because you won't want to leave!
Feb 17, 2017 near West Se…, AZ
View!
Jan 1, 2019 near West Se…, AZ
Climbing the scramble to the Cathedral Rock saddle.
Jan 18, 2022 near West Se…, AZ
6 year old mid way up.
Jan 1, 2019 near West Se…, AZ

1 Comment

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Weather

Current Trail Conditions

All Clear 6 days ago
Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

Feb 20, 2025
Atsuko Ohtake
Jan 6, 2025
Anonymous
Nov 19, 2024
Nicholas Majka
Incredible views 1.3mi — 0h 48m
May 4, 2024
Takeshi M
Apr 21, 2024
Lance Parry
Feb 17, 2024
John Eun
Sunrise hike — 0h 45m
Nov 12, 2023
Stewart Carnes
Nov 11, 2023
Marc Daniel
With Mila — 9h 25m

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