These hiking poles are sturdy, and great to help keep your balance on short or longer hikes
Cathedral Gorge is one of the lesser-known state parks in Nevada. We were quite surprised it’s not more popular because this park is unique with its otherworldly landscape. The park is known for its enchanting siltstone spires that remind us of the cathedrals in Europe. Besides the interesting spires, Cathedral Gorge State Park has fun hikes and numerous fascinating caves and slot canyons to explore. After spending our time discovering the park, we put together a complete guide, which has everything you need to know about Cathedral Gorge State Park. With this, you can maximize your time here at this wonderful place.
Cathedral Gorge State Park is located in the small town of Panaca, Nevada. It is about 2.5 hours north of Las Vegas and a bit less than 2 hours south of Ely. It is located along US – 93. The park itself isn’t that big. We put the address for the park below:
📍111 Cathedral Gorge State Park Road, Panaca, NV 89042
Cathedral Gorge State Park in Nevada charges $5.00 ($10 for non-NV vehicles) per vehicle to enter each day. The park also offers annual permits if that is something you prefer. There are no guard towers at the entrance. You can pay the permit fee via a couple of pay stations along the park road.
Pro-tip: When we were there, the ranger told us that with our day-use permit, we could visit any Nevada state park on that same day. There are 4 other state parks in the nearby area that you could visit as well. These parks are Kershaw-Ryan, Beaver Dam, Echo Canyon, and Spring Valley State Park.
The park is open 24/7, 365 days a year.
There are a few options for lodging in and near Cathedral Gorge State Park
If camping is not your thing, there are a couple of hotel options at Panaca, right outside Cathedral Gorge State Park. About 15 minutes north of the park is Pioche and 40 minutes south is Caliente. Both of these small towns also offer lodging choices.
Cathedral Gorge is pretty small. You can visit all the best spots in this park in one day. If anything, you can add a day. Two days here would let you explore everything at this park at a nice, leisurely pace.
Our favorite thing to do here at Cathedral Gorge State Park is to explore all the interesting slot canyons and caves. This park is made up of tall sand spires, which means there are numerous long and short, wide and narrow slot canyons and caves to be discovered. There are 3 main slot areas, Moon Slots, Canyon Caves, and Cathedral Caves. They are all spread out along the ridgeline on the main road. We could spend at least half a day here, and check out all the fun corridors and passages. If you have children, they would have a blast here. And if you don’t, you’ll also have tons of fun here.
This is a quick stop on the main road, near the slot area. It is a water tower constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (the CCC) during the 1930’s. It was built to provide water for the picnic area in the park. Unfortunately, the water quality wasn’t good so the well was closed. Now, this water tower has become a historical monument.
Cathedral Gorge State Park has 5 main trails. They are listed according to our favorites
1-mile R.T. from the main parking lot, 0.5 mi R.T. from the overlook | Elevation Gain: 112 feet | Easy
Miller Point Trail is a must-do when you’re visiting Cathedral Gorge State Park. There are 3 ways to hike Miller Point Trail.
4 mile loop | Elevation Gain: 105 feet | Easy
This Juniper Draw Loop is our favorite because it showcases all the best parts of Cathedral Gorge State Park. You can start this trail at the main parking lot or the campground. The trail takes you through the back parts of the park, along the wide wash with some wildflowers, scattered bushes, and juniper trees. As you hike further, you’ll come across many sand cathedrals, slot canyons, and caves.
As we mentioned above, you can add a detour to Miller Point from Juniper Draw Loop. It is an additional 0.5 miles round trip and 112 ft elevation gain. We definitely recommend doing it.
1.2 miles R.T. | Elevation Gain: 89 feet | Easy
If you have time, give Eagle Point Trail a try. It is not as scenic as the other two, but it has its own merit. The trailhead starts very close to the overlook for Miller Point, along Miller Point Road. Eagle Point trail follows along the edge of the cliff, overlooking the valley around you. From up here, we could see the Juniper Draw Loop trail below. The trail gets narrow and close to the edge so make sure to watch your steps.
4-6 mile R.T. | Elevation Gain: 278 feet | Easy
This is the longest trail in Cathedral Gorge State Park. If you’re an avid hiker or have plenty of time to spend in the park, you can do the Hawk’s Ridge Trail. However, we recommend doing the Miller Point, Juniper Draw Loop, and Eagle Point trails first.
Hawk’s Ridge Trail starts at the campground and shares the first portion of the trail with Juniper Draw Loop. This trail takes you through the desert wash before climbing up to the top of the ridge. Once up on the ridge, you’ll be hiking about 1-2 miles along the cliffside. The view from here is very similar to the views on Eagle Point Trail. It then ends at the Cathedral Gorge State Park road. From here, you can either walk along the road to get back to the trailhead (4 miles) or turn back the same way you came from (6 miles)
0.5 miles R.T. | Elevation Gain: 22 feet | Easy
This 0.5-mile loop trail connects the main parking lot and the campground. Along the trail, there are signages about the plants and animals that you can find in the park.
10 minutes drive
There is a really cool arch that resembles a teapot in Panaca, about 10 minutes from the Cathedral Gorge State Park. You can hike up to it but it is better from afar. This is a quick stop.
As we mentioned above, with your day pass, you can access all of Nevada State Parks in that one day. There are a few state parks within driving distance of Cathedral Gorge that you can check out if you have time.
20-minute drive south
This park is located inside a beautiful canyon in the town of Caliente. There is a nice picnic area with a small swimming pool, perfect for families with children. The park also has 14 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails. There are also backcountry trails if you’re experienced enough. If you love mountain biking, this park has many cool trails. We were sad we didn’t bring our bikes on this trip.
30 minutes drive NE
The main focus of the Echo Canyon is its beautiful reservoir. The reservoir is wedged in the middle of the scenic canyon. It is a perfect place for swimming, boating, and fishing. If you love birdwatching, there are a variety of waterfowl here including herons, mallards, and teals, as well as eagles, hawks, owls, and more. For hikers, the Ash Canyon trail leads to the park’s backcountry. It is 2.5 miles with a 300ft elevation gain.
35 minutes drive NE
If you’re already visiting Echo Canyon, we recommend continuing to drive to Spring Valley State Park. The drive from Echo Canyon to Spring Valley is quite beautiful. Due to volcanic tuff and sediment, Spring Valley State Park has a unique scenery, comprised of interesting light-gray, pink, and white backdrop. There is also a big reservoir for swimming, boating as well as fishing. Another cool thing about this park is the historic ranches built in the late 1800s.
Happy Adventuring. Don’t forget to check out the related posts below for more inspiration on your upcoming adventures. While at it, follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel! We’ll love you forever!
These are the gear that we personally use and find helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
These hiking poles are sturdy, and great to help keep your balance on short or longer hikes
If you tend to have foot blisters on hikes, get this! We use this all the time.
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
It's always good to bring a GPS tracker with you. We use the Garmin inReach.
This is Vy's favorite hiking bag! It has tons of room for snacks and water!
Our favorite biodegradable, eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen!
This is our go-to camera for all of our adventures. It comes with us everywhere!
Compact GoPro pole that extends to 25", perfect to bring on your adventure.
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Hi! We are Dustin & Vy, the proud creators of Live That Adventure. We created this website because we wanted to inspire others to live their lives to the fullest. On here, you’ll find everything from hiking, canyoneering, kayaking, and snorkeling to adventure and travel tips, gear reviews, and bucket list items such as bungee jumping or wing walking. We’ll show you the ropes so you can do them too!
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