Cathedral Rock Mt. Charleston

Cathedral Rock Overview

Cathedral Rock at Mount Charleston is an out-and-back hike that offers plenty of views as well as a couple of cool points of interest along the way to the top.

Just under 3 miles long, this hike has a slight incline all the way up to the top with a combination of solid hiking paths and some scree sprinkled in to keep you on your toes.

On your way up to the top of Cathedral Rock, be sure to stop at the waterfall towards the start of the trail as well as keep an eye out for the bent trees caused by the recent avalanche earlier this year.

Click here to read our article on Mt. Charleston Picnic Areas.

Click here to read our article on Cathedral Rock Picnic Area.

STATS
We typically run a track while hiking to give you the best data that we can but unfortunately the track didn’t record until we hit the waterfalls.

After backtracking and trying to add the missing distance from the track, the trip was about 2.7 miles but we’re going to say it was almost 3 miles to account for the margin of error.

Route Type: Out and back

Distance: nearly 3 miles round trip depending on how many side paths you take.

Starting Elevation: ~7,800′

Elevation Gain: ~800′

Elevation of Peak: ~8,600′

Hiking Time: 2 – 3 hours

Difficulty: Moderate due to the natural elevation of Mount Charleston and the steady incline all the way up to the peak.

TRAIL INFORMATION

Terrain: Easy to follow defined hiking trail with some stairs – no scrambling

Accessibility: March through November are optimum conditions to hike this trail, closed during winter months

Parking: There are two parking lots, the Upper Trailhead Parking Lot and the Lower Trailhead Parking Lot

RESTROOMS

Restrooms: Depending on where you park, there are several pit toilets in the parking lot

CELL PHONES

Cellular Service: Cell service is available most of the hike depending on which carrier you have. ATT and Verizon have good coverage on the trial.

KID-FRIENDLY

Kid-Friendly: Yes, but watch the edges and loose rocks during parts of the hike.

DOG-FRIENDLY

Dog-Friendly: Yes but keep them leashed as there are a bunch of dogs on the trail.

Also, there are chipmunks on the trail so especially keep them on leashes if they like to chase animals.

HOW TO GET THERE

Directions: Take US-95 North from Las Vegas to State Highway 157/Kyle Canyon Road.

Turn left and follow the road to the Cathedral Rock parking area, which is approximately 100 yards prior to the Mt. Charleston Lodge (you’ll see the uphill road to the parking area directly ahead of you just prior to the lodge).

PERMITS AND FEES

Fees: Free to $6 per car, depending on where you park (if you park at the picnic area there is a fee)

PARKING

Parking: There should be plenty of free parking just outside the gate in front of the pit toilets (otherwise there is a parking fee of $6 per car if you park at the picnic area).

Coordinates: not available at this time

WHAT TO TAKE

Water, approximately 2 liters is recommended

Snack or lunch to enjoy at the peak (watch out for those Palmer chipmunks!!!)

Hiking poles

Camera

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Views of Kyle Canyon from the peak

Small waterfall

Picturesque views of fall foliage starting in September. During our September 2017 hike, the Aspen trees were starting to turn gold.

If you don’t have lunch at the peak, consider using one of the nearby picnic areas.

Cathedral Rock Flowers, Foliage, and Wildlife

On our September 2017 hike, we saw deer and Palmer Chipmunks, which are little beggars at the peak where hikers stop to snack.

Cathedral Rock at Mt. Charleston Resources and References

Cathedral Rock information on All Trails
Mt. Charleston Resort
Palmer’s Chipmunk on Wikipedia