Cathedral Rock Trail Sedona Arizona – Hiking Guide

Probably the most iconic hike in Sedona Arizona is the Cathedral Rock trail. It’s on every itinerary out there and nearly everyone who’s visited Sedona will mention this hike. At only 1.2 miles round trip, this is a short hike that provides amazing views, as well as a sense of accomplishment once you make to the top! In this guide, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about hiking Cathedral Rock trail in Sedona Arizona.

Cathedral Rock Trail Overview:

Length: 1.2 miles

Type: Out and back

Elevation Gain: 741 feet

Cathedral Rock Trailhead Location

The trailhead for Cathedral Rock is located just south of the downtown area of Sedona. However, the parking lot is TINY. Very tiny! So, most people who visit Sedona and want to hike this trail will need to take the free shuttle. In fact, access to the trailhead parking lot is completely closed when the shuttle is operating. The shuttle runs Thursday – Sundays all throughout the year and daily during spring break. For more information, visit the Sedona Shuttle website.

This is the map where the trailhead is located:

Here is the location for the free park and ride to catch the shuttle:

If you do snag a coveted parking spot at the Cathedral Rock trailhead lot, you will need to have a Red Rock pass, (available to purchase at a kiosk in the parking lot) or place your America the Beautiful (US National Park) pass on your dashboard. You do not need any sort of pass to park at the shuttle lots; it’s completely free!

IMPORTANT: Check for trail closures at the official National Forest website, as this trail frequently requires maintenance.

You may run into issues finding parking at the park and ride for the shuttle, too. I visited in mid-December and did this hike on a Saturday afternoon and found no issues getting a spot. However, the lot was still pretty packed. Because this hike is very short, people are coming and going all the time, so spaces do free up throughout the day.

Hiking Cathedral Rock

The trail starts off from the Cathedral Rock trailhead and follows an actual trail for a little bit before you reach the slickrock sandstone. From there, you simply follow the crowd up — and yes, there will be a crowd. You will also find giant cairns along the way that will also help guide you up.

It is absolutely vital to wear the correct footwear! As you are hiking on sandstone, you will need the extra traction on your feet, especially if it recently rained.

Dogs are allowed on this trail but there is no way I would bring a dog on this. It’s too much scrambling!

The trail gets steep and at one point in the trail, you’ll probably find a bunch of people stopped, contemplating their next move. There is a narrow chute that is extremely steep without a good way to center your footing. I watched several people attempt to get up this chute and people were chickening out left and right. I almost did too! I didn’t take any photos of this because I needed to concentrate, so I put my phone and my camera in my backpack. I was literally climbing on the rocks with all fours!

TIP: Make sure to download the AllTrails Map to your phone. Although the trail is always busy and you likely won’t get lost, it’s handy to have a map.

After I made it past that point, things got a little easier. You’re still scrambling and climbing, but you’ll have some stairs in addition to climbing up on rocks and none of it is nearly as bad as what you encounter at that crevice. You’ll still need both of your hands free, so stow your phone and water in your backpack.

But don’t be afraid to stop, snap photos and enjoy the views on the way up – it’s a beautiful hike!

Once you’re at the top, you’ll be treated to a beautiful view — and a sense of accomplishment! For such a short hike, I was really proud of myself for getting through all that steep scrambling (can you tell I’m not a fan of rock scrambling on hikes??!) There is an “End of Trail” sign at the top, so it’s definitely clear when you’ve reached the end.

Going back down, I slid down on my butt quite a bit, as it is really steep and slick. You’ll see people doing both, so do whatever makes you comfortable!

The small crevice area wasn’t any issue going down; I did it with no hesitation.

Wear clothing that you don’t mind getting dirty — you will get all kinds of red rock dust on your clothes, especially if you are doing a butt crawl on the way down!

Cathedral Rock Hike – Final Thoughts

Personally, I thought this hike was sketchy and scary — but I’m not big on rock scrambling! However, I did enjoy it and I would do it again.

But the “marketing” on this hike is so misleading – while I loved the view and definitely think it’s worth it, this is on every list of must-do things in Sedona. And yes, if you are able to do this hike, you should! But is NOT a hike for everyone. Everyone and their brother was on this trail – tons and tons of people wearing completely inappropriate clothing and footwear to do this hike. Many, many people turned around about 1/3 of the way, once the scrambling gets too intense. While this is a short and sweet hike with an amazing view, it’s not a walk in the park – this is not a hike for anyone with a fear of heights or any sort of mobility issues.

Have you hiked Cathedral Rock in Sedona? What did you think?