Cathedral Gorge State Park, Nevada

The last thing you might expect to find out in this monotonous desert landscape is a beautifully carved gorge, but Cathedral Gorge State Park does indeed exist. Since I was on a tight schedule, I didn’t want to devote the time necessary to drive into the park. The good news was, I didn’t have to.

The main entrance to Cathedral Gorge State Park is just north of the junction of highway 319 (the road from Utah). I didn’t go there. Instead, I turned into the overlook/rest area at Miller Point, a few miles north of the main entrance, and discovered I could still get a good look at the gorge from there. And thanks to that metal staircase…

…I didn’t have to be content with viewing the gorge from the overlook. One staircase, then another, quickly dropped me down into the miniature canyon.

The eroded walls are beautiful and unique. I didn’t have to explore far to find some interesting formations.

The only problem was, I did have a lot of steps to climb, on my way out.

There’s a $4 entrance fee, if you enter Cathedral Gorge State Park through the main entrance. However, I did not see any entry fee requirements at the Miller Point viewpoint.

Cathedral Gorge has a 4-mile loop trail that takes you through the heart of the gorge. A 1-mile side trail connects the loop trail to Miller Point. You can find more park information here.

Pioche, Nevada

Caliente, Nevada

Note: This trip was first published in 2007.

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