Editor’s Note: I was perusing Instagram awhile back, and saw the coolest stories from one of my favorites on the platform, @ChrisMeGoodbye aka Christine Blake. She’s a California native and mom to three living in Las Vegas. Her photos are incredible! Christine had discovered what can arguably might be the coolest hidden gem in Nevada. I reached out immediately — “Where is this? Please tell me more!” This natural attraction is SO cool that I asked Christine if she would be willing to share allllll of the details with you guys here. Happy Reading!
I have been living in Las Vegas for over 15 years, and I only just recently heard about a super cool place right here in Nevada: Cathedral Gorge State Park. (OK, I say “right here in Nevada” but it’s actually not very close to me… it’s kind of in the middle of nowhere: about a 3-hour drive from Las Vegas, most of which has no cell service, so download your road trip podcasts ahead of time!) Once you leave the I-15 corridor it’s basically one of those highways where you don’t have to turn the steering wheel or tap the brakes for long stretches of time.
Millions of years ago, this area used to be underwater. Volcanic activity deposited hundreds of feet of ash on the lake that mixed with the sedimental clay. After all the water drained away, the ash eroded and what was left are these incredible formations of spires and canyons and caves.
What to Know Before You Go
In my opinion, Cathedral Gorge is best suited to a day trip (entry fee $5) as you’ll exhaust your list of places to explore in just a few hours. There are only five trails in the park to hike, totaling less than six miles all together. However, since it is so far from pretty much everywhere, it’s good to know that there are 22 camping sites available ($15/night), each with a table, grill and shade (electric hookups are also available for an additional $10/night). There are restrooms with showers, covered picnic areas, and dogs are allowed if they are kept on a leash.
What to Do at Cathedral Gorge
I had my daughter with me when I visited, so my experience was slightly limited because she isn’t able to hike. But we were still able to fully enjoy the totally cool beauty of the area! You can park right next to the self-pay station which is directly in front of Moon Caves, and just start exploring. It’s an easy walk from there to Canyon Caves, and between those two areas we found about a dozen different slot canyons, places where you could easily walk/climb to the top of the structures, and even a few caves.
Just beyond Canyon Caves is the water tower and Cathedral Caves. There is a parking here and a picnic area… and this is where the paved road ends so that’s where I had to stop my explorations. I heard from @basecampnevada that Miller Point Trail (just a mile from the picnic area) has a pretty spectacular view if you are OK with heights and metal stairs. (I also heard from a different friend that somewhere in the park there is a 100-foot tunnel you can crawl through… but her memories weren’t exactly crystal clear on that point, so take it for what it’s worth.) I can’t comment on Juniper Draw Loop (the only hike longer than a mile in the whole park,) because I wasn’t able to see it; but I will absolutely be back and that hike is on my to-do list.
I will add a note here that according to @theramblingraccoon there is a swimming hole in Panaca (the town right outside the park) that is not to be missed. Rumor has it that people have put tropical fish in it and you can go snorkeling and see them in there! I mean, you already drove all the way out there, you’d better jump in and check it out!
Exploring These Incredible Slot Canyons
My favorite part about Cathedral Gorge State Park was exploring the slot canyons. I think narrow canyons are super cool, and these are TIGHT. Like, my shoulders touched both walls at once in a few of them. Hope you aren’t claustrophobic!! Technically, these should probably be called box canyons because they have endpoints and don’t go all the way through, but let’s not split hairs. Don’t forget to look up when you reach those endpoints though— you won’t regret it! These tall textured walls are like nothing I’ve experienced before. There are also several caves, although the caves I saw seemed to be places where a canyon wall had collapsed, leaving a hole in the outer wall, not really a place to explore.
Final Thoughts on Cathedral Gorge State Park
If you are ever in the area, this place is seriously cool. The formations are different than pretty much any other place I’ve seen. Plus, it still sees low numbers of visitors so it’s not crowded and they haven’t made any rules about not climbing on the formations yet. It’s a playground for grownups (and kids)!
