Cathedral Gorge State Park

Amazing park! Well worth a trip! It’s not near much else but it’s definitely worth a long drive if you need. It’s not a big park but it’s so unique and fun. The slots are perfect for kids! It feels like you’re on the moon. As you pull in the center called “regional park center” is the visitors center and you can get souvenirs. You pay to enter at a machine at the next turn off (if you see the slots you’ve gone to far). You can pay by card and your pass covers all Nevada state parks that day. There are bathrooms also at the visitors center and at the last pull off.

We drove 2 and a half hours one way just to visit this beautiful place. There is a lot of information online about it on Insta, TikTok, FB, YouTube, blogs and the official website, so you can easily plan your visit. We saw 2 self pay stations there. We paid at the one close to the Moon caves. Bring cash or checks. $5 day pass for NV vehicles, $10 for everyone else. You just take an envelope , fill out your vehicle info, deposit it into a tube and hang the receipt from your rear view mirror. Our kids loved the Moon caves the most. It's like a mini slot canyons. You can't really get lost because they all end up in a dead end. There is a restroom by the Cathedral caves and also restrooms by the Miller point. We drove to the miller point. You will be covered in dust. We brought a change of clothes and shoes for the kids and towels and wet wipes. It's well worth the drive!!! There is a campground there too.

Whoa, what an incredible and unusual place this has turned out to be!! It’s kind of like a mashed up combination of The Badlands, Bryce Canyon Hoodoo’s and Antelope Slot Canyons. We actually just learned of this State Park not long ago, from a reel we saw on FB. When we realized we were only a couple of hours away, we decided to take a chance that it would be worth the detour. And holy smokes, was it so worth it!! This is a place we will likely make plans to specifically come back and visit again! We definitely suggest that you add this place to your bucket list and check it out!!

Absolutely beautiful hidden gem. My 4 recommended options to enjoy this area: 1.) I started from the lookout point and walked all the way down to the bottom. There are quite a few stairs and some slippery areas where hard surfaces have loose sand. Now, walking back up... Think about this as you are descending the canyon. I'm 61 with a weakened heart. I make it back to the top, but I'm huffing and puffing. 2.) Start at the bottom and then hike up as far as you're comfortable doing. Then your return is all down and less strenuous. On this one, remember to save some leg strength. You'll be able to make these decisions easily once you get there. 3a.) Just get some stunning views from the lookout point at the top. A nice stop from driving if you're on a bigger drive. 3b.) Expore at the bottom. It's a cute little area with some nice (and necessary) shade. You can still get some great pictures from where the parking area is and by walking into the lower canyon. 4.) I've never been able to do this, but it's probably the best way to see the canyon walking all the way from top to bottom. If you are with a group and you have someone content to just look from the top, and look from the lower area, get dropped off at the top. That way, you can walk down all the way to the parking area at the bottom, see the whole canyon, and get picked up by another person in your group. The hike through the canyon is not terribly far. I walked down and up in maybe 30 minutes, and that included a decent number of stops to take pictures. Things to think about: - Water - Hat - Possibly gloves for the hot handrails provided in a couple of spots - USE GOOD JUDGMENT - like many nature trails, there are areas where you can stray off of the path and get way, way too close to areas where you could fall and be seriously injured or worse. As I like to say, "Don't be that guy!" If you stop and look around, then determine that it's not your cup of tea, you've invested very little time and stretched your legs. I believe I also saw a road pointing to a camping area, but I didn't explore that.