Cathedral Gorge State Park is a recreation and geologic preserve’s dramatic landscapes cover nearly 2,000 acres featuring slot canyons, narrow canyons cut deep into soft bentonite clay that years ago were at the bottom of a lake.  There are six developed hiking trails to highlight areas of the park.   The facilities include a campground with 24 sites, group areas that accommodate groups of 70 or less, picnic areas and a regional visitor center at the entrance.  Here you can obtain information, see exhibits and buy souvenirs. 

The park is located just 4 miles north of Panaca on Hwy 93.  You may see wildlife during your stay including lizards, jack rabbits, cottontail rabbits, birds and snakes; and in the evening or early morning hours, be on the lookout for kangaroo rats, coyotes, kick foxes and mule deer.  

Fees: The entrance fee per vehicle is $5.00 ($10.00 for non-Nevada residents). There are self-pay instructions upon entering the park.

Camping:  Sites 1 to 24 require an additional fee for utility hook up fee.  Fees: Camping & entrance: $15 per night ($20 for non-Nevadan residents) and an additional $10 for utility hookups. Ensure you have a site before paying.  Checkout time is 11:00am and the campground stay limit is 14 days.

History

More than a million years ago, a large freshwater lake covered all of the Meadow Valley, the area along US 93 between Caliente and Panaca.  Later, uplifting and faulting terrain cause the waters to drain, leaving behind a thousand feet of sediments and gravel.

During the most recent ice age, rainwater and snowmelt began to carve gullies out of softer sediments, siltstone and clay, resulting in the maze of towers, crevices and canyons you will find at Cathedral Gorge.

One of the first visitors to appreciate the drama of this sculpted landscape was Mrs. Earl Godbe, an 1880s resident of the nearby mining camp, Bullionville.  The siltstone spires reminded her of European cathedrals prompting her to suggest the name Cathedral Gorge.  Over the years, these buff-colored cliffs have provided residents with a unique backdrop for Biblical pageants and other open-air dramas.

In 1911, Nephi and Elbert Edwards, two teenage boys from Panaca, began exploring the nooks and crannies of Cathedral Gorge and along with their brothers, built a series of ladders through cave-like crawlways.  In the early 1920s, the Edwards families led the movement to preserve and protect the Gorge, which became a state park in 1935.