Cathedral Rock is a natural sandstone butte on the
Sedona skyline and one of the most-photographed sights in
Arizona,
United States.
The rock formation is located in the
Coconino National Forest in
Yavapai County, about a mile (1.6 km) west of
Arizona Route 179, and about south of the "Y" intersection of Routes 179 and 89A in uptown Sedona. The summit elevation of Cathedral Rock is .
The Cathedral Rock trail (
USFS
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...
Trail #170) is a popular short, steep ascent from the Back O' Beyond trailhead to the saddle points or "gaps" in Cathedral Rock.
Geologically, Cathedral Rock is carved from the
Permian Schnebly Hill formation
The Schnebly Hill Formation is a section of red bed deposits found at the Colorado Plateau, near Sedona, Arizona. It is a dark red sandstone, from to thick. It lies between Coconino Sandstone and the older Hermit Formation. It is near the Supai ...
, a
redbed sandstone formed from coastal
sand dunes
A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...
near the shoreline of the ancient
Pedregosa Sea.
Ripple marks are prominent along the lower Cathedral Rock trail, and a black
basalt dike may be seen in the first saddle.
[
Cathedral Rock was called "Court House Rock" on some early maps,]Courthouse Butte
Courthouse Butte is a butte just north of the Village of Oak Creek, Arizona, south of Sedona in Yavapai County. Summit elevation is . It is just east of Bell Rock.
Geologically, Courthouse Butte is composed of horizontally bedded sedimentary roc ...
was called "Church House Rock",
See also
* Bell Rock
References
External links
"Cathedral Rock Trail"
Coconino National Forest.
* {{cite summitpost , id=152506 , name=Cathedral Rock
Sedona, Arizona
Buttes of Arizona
Rock formations of Arizona
Landforms of Yavapai County, Arizona
Protected areas of Yavapai County, Arizona