Hiking Cathedral Rock Trail in Sedona

Out of the four vortex hikes in Sedona, this one was our favorite. It was also the most difficult. Although it’s only 1-1.5 miles to the summit (depending on which website you check), it is all uphill to varying degrees and will require more time than you might expect. It took us an hour to climb up, stopping frequently for pictures and to strategize how we should climb up the trail at certain points.

This is your view from the parking lot, which is a little deceptive. If you hike the entire trail, you will be going behind and up past those rock formations. A park pass is required to park in this lot. The current fee is $5/day, $15/week or $20/annually. There is a kiosk in the lot where you can purchase the pass. It only accepts credit cards. The pass is valid at all lots. Our visit was on a Saturday in early December and we did not have any trouble getting a spot. However, this is a very popular hike, so check out other parking options before you arrive, or be prepared to wait for a spot to open if you are traveling during tourist season.

This trail is rated difficult, and with good reason. However, the beginning of the trail isn’t too strenuous and there is a lovely plateau with stunning views that you will reach before the more difficult part of the trail begins.  Many people just hike to this spot, which is what I would recommend if you are not up for an arduous climb. The trees provide a bit of shade, but only at the start of the trail. Sunscreen is definitely a must on this hike, you will run out of shady spots quickly.

This is your ‘starter’ view. If you choose to turn back at the plateau, you could be in and out in less than 30 minutes. I however, was bound and determined to get to the vortex.

For my fellow vortex seekers, this is one example of the more daunting sections of the trail.  You will need to climb it like a ladder.  Personally, I thought coming down was harder than going up. I scooted on my butt all the way down. In fact, I spent a lot of time sliding down the trail on my butt.  Important tip, wear durable bottoms that can handle all that sliding! On this hike, you follow both the white paint on the rocks, as well as, the cairns in the wire baskets. You can see both in this photo.  There will be several places where you will see the paint and think, this can not possibly be the trail, but it is.

Oh, how happy I was to reach this sign!

Even though this is the end of the trail, there is more exploring to do.  After resting and admiring the view, I decided to do some Tai Chi Chih to really soak in the energy and beauty of my surroundings.

If you are not afraid of heights and are sure-footed, there is a ledge that you can walk out on to get an even better view.  That’s me, all in black, leaning against the rock.  The ledge is actually 2-3 feet wide, so it’s not as scary as the photo makes it look.

I think this was the best view of the hike. When we first reached the summit, we were the only ones here. It was fun to witness other hikers (there were only 5 others), who we could hear talking and grunting up the trail, get to the summit, see the view and just say, “Wow!” and stand in stunned silence.

It was actually nice to eventually share the spot with other hikers, as we took turns taking pictures for each other. It was hard to leave here, but I had read online (and you may have noticed it written on the ‘End of Trail’ sign) that we should follow the ‘path’ to the left to reach the pinnacle rock formation. So, off we went!

If you are not up for this extra climbing, it’s less than 5 minutes, no worries; you’ve all ready seen the best views. If you decide to give it a try, watch out for the prickly pear cactus at the top!

This is the final destination. The pinnacle was too tall to fit in the camera frame. I was wishing we had more time to linger, but we only had one day and I was determined to do all four hikes. So, down we went.

On our way up, we met a couple who lived in the area that was on their way down. It was at a spot where we had stopped and were trying to figure out how to get up and eventually how we would get down. They both sat down and scooted down the entire section. The gentleman called out, “No shame in sliding down on your butt! It’s the easiest way to get down sometimes.” That became my mantra for getting down many sections of the trail. I preferred sliding down, my husband preferred going down backwards, like he was climbing down a ladder. He is a foot taller than I am, so our methods of getting up and down are usually different. I think the best advice is to do whatever is comfortable for you, and if you feel uncomfortable or afraid on the trail, you should stop. There is no way I would have been able to do this trail alone. There were spots where my husband either boosted me up or pulled me up, my legs were not long enough to make it on my own.

Things to remember: sunscreen, water, sunglasses, camera, good hiking boots or shoes, credit card to pay for parking. You may also consider hiking gloves, which I do not own. There is a lot of crawling and using your hands to help pull you up on this hike. My hands were ok, but it would have been nice to have them. We did this hike in December, so the weather was very cool. The challenge would have been much greater had we been dealing with heat.

Our next hike of the day was Bell Rock, which can be as easy or as difficult as you choose to make it (followed by Boynton Canyon Vista Trail, and Airport Mesa Trail). It all depends on how high you want to climb. We choose to climb as high as we could, so although parts of it were difficult, it was not as hard as Cathedral Rock. To see the rest of our itinerary for the day, click here. Do you have a favorite Sedona hike? I’d love to hear about it!  As always, wishing you happy travels and fantastic adventures in this thing called life.

(All pictures are available as Fine Art Prints or Digital Downloads for purchase at full resolution through Alamy. If you see something you like, click on the link. If you are unable to find it, use the Contact Me page and I will make sure the image is available.)

Other Things To See and Do in Arizona

Butterfly Wonderland

Desert Botanical Garden

Saguaro National Park

Ro Ho En Japanese Garden

Pin for later!