Sedona Area - Cathedral Rock climb


These pictures were taken Sunday July 16, in the late afternoon. Cathedral Rock is one of many famous red rock formations around Sedona. The Cathedral Rock trail is a short (1.5 mile round trip, but with a 600 foot elevation change) trail which will get you up into the saddle points or "gaps" of the rock.
Above, a picture from near the parking lot and trailhead. Doesn't look too difficult. Below, a shot about 5 minutes in. Now the fun starts!

As the elevation increases, any signs of a trail disappear, because now you're walking on solid rock. The only markers are baskets of rocks, placed along the route to indicate turns. You navigate from one basket to the next. The picture below is about 12 minutes in from the start.


The pictures above and below are about 20 minutes in. There's been some climbing, and the light is changing minute-by-minute.


A couple of pictures at the top of the rocks, and it's only taken about 25 minutes to get up.

Don't get me wrong, the climb is strenuous, but the muscle aches didn't hit me until the next day.
With darkness coming, not to mention some nearby thunder, I had to expedite my return to the trailhead, so didn't stop for more than a couple pictures on the way down.


Not far from, and on the way to Cathedral Rock is the Chapel of the Holy Cross, below, built in 1956 between 2 large red rock formations. The cross is 90 feet tall.



Next, some day trips from our home base in Sedona.

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