While in Sedona last summer, my sister-in-law Celeste, our friend Daryn, and myself wanted to get at least one of the more popular hikes in. We happened to be staying down the road from Oak Creek where the Baldwin Trail can be accessed. This is one of the ways you can get to Cathedral Rock. If you use the AllTrails app, you can find this particular route under Cathedral Rock to Red Rock Crossing. It’s a 4.3 mile out and back trail that isn’t too difficult until you literally start scrambling up the rock towards the end. There is a shorter trail that is 1.2 miles out and back but I highly recommend the longer one if you have time. Cathedral Rock is quite popular so the earlier you can go, the better. We started our hike at about 7am and took our time. By the time we got to Red Rock Crossing where you start to scramble up the rocks, there were many people there.
Cathedral Rock and the surrounding area is beautiful. It is also a vortex location. A vortex is an energy spot where energy either flows upward from the earth or spirals downward into the earth. These areas are thought to be conducive to meditation and healing; many people – including myself – say they can feel the energy. The energy is classified as female/magnetic (nurturing/calming), male/electrical (energizing), or balanced (mix of the two). Cathedral Rock is a magnetic vortex. What I experienced was the hair raising all over my body and a sense of calm and centeredness. It was a unique and special feeling for me and I can’t wait to go back there and go to other known vortices in the area. Three other popular spots are Airport Mesa, Bell Rock, and Boynton Canyon. There are others you can easily find and read up on to decide which sounds most interesting to you.
As I mentioned, the hike wasn’t too strenuous for most of the way. The trail bumps up against Oak Creek a couple times and the canopy of trees helps provide shade. As you start gaining elevation, the area starts to come into view…and it is incredible. We stopped many times just to look out over the valley and take it all in.
At the base of Cathedral Rock, you start the scramble. Hopefully you have chosen to wear a pair of sturdy shoes with traction…these help immensely! You will climb up through a crack in the rock for about 40 feet. There are handholds and footholds that help….as you get to the top of the scramble people often are there to offer you a literal hand up if you need. Once through that section, there’s a plateau that allows you to catch your breath and take another look around. From there you scramble up a few other challenging sections and then you reach some stone steps to finish the climb. There is a popular ledge (Edge of the World) to your right where most pictures are taken. There was quite a line and we didn’t want to stand in it so we took off to the left. After another short scramble, we found ourselves between two of the towering pillars with a third out in front. It was here that I felt the need to take a moment to take it all in and got another rush of the hairs on my body standing up. There were only 3 other people there so it was more quite and conducive to reflection.
There were views all around you that are incredible and breathtaking…SO worth the climb and I highly recommend it to anyone in the Sedona area. You could see other rock formations including Courthouse Butte as you look out into the distance. There were people there of all abilities…it just might take a bit longer for some than others but if you go slow and take your time, you can do it. Again, make sure you have good, sturdy footwear with plenty of traction.
Once we headed down, we were in a bit of a rush. Because we had taken our time going up, we were quickly approaching the time we had reservations for an excursion. Going down was certainly easier and there are sections where we slid down. My arms got a workout too from lowering myself down certain sections we had previously had to scramble up. We encountered many more people on the way down but the crowd thinned out as we headed back the way we had come vs. the shorter trail…that was a welcome experience.
Sedona certainly is a beautiful area and I can’t wait to return and have others join us on this and other hikes.
