During our half day in Sedona, we knew we wanted to do at least one hike. After some internet searching climbing Cathedral Rock seemed like the best hike we could fit into our afternoon. Arriving at the trail head, we looked up at the beautiful red rock and the 608 ft rise in elevation we were about to hike. From reading some trip advisor reviews the hike didn’t sound too strenuous just that it got a little steep in places, but the hike turned out very different from our expectations!

Let me first say that we are not avid hikers by any means so while the less than a mile long hike might be easy for experienced hikers, we founds parts of it fairly difficult. It didn’t help that we just hiked the paved Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon so I was expecting a very clear path to follow. In reality there were just some stones on the ground marking the “path”. Even with the stones people were taking various routes up the rockside.

Throughout the entire hike, the views were amazing but we couldn’t wait to see the view from the top. Along the way, there were places where only one person could go at a time and parts that felt more like rock climbing that hiking. Definitely be sure to wear sturdy hiking shoes not flip flops like we saw some people wearing. Out of breath we finally reached the blessed “End of Trail” sign and took in the phenomenal view. If you’re feeling adventurous there is a ledge to the right of the end of trail sign to walk out on a little further to get an unobstructed view.

Overall we loved the hike, it took about an hour. Parking at the head of the trail is limited and is $5 per vehicle. If you’re u plan to do this hike, wear proper shoes and definitely bring some water with you for the trek. Parts of the trail were a little scarier than expected for someone who is afraid of heights but the short trail was perfect for our limited time in Sedona and the view from the top is hard to beat!