Cathedral Gorge State Park is located in the southeastern edge of Nevada near a little town called Panaca. Formed from layers of volcanic ash, the park is filled with unique geologic formations. Years of erosion have left behind a playground of multi-layered towers, spires and hidden slots in the soft bentonite clay. Arriving in the park during a rainstorm, we got to experience first hand how the erosion continues to this day. The ground surface quickly turned to sticky pink mud as tiny streams of water formed channels and smoothed out the sandy base of the rocks. By the next morning, the Basin and Range desert had swallowed all evidence of moisture.
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Cathedral Slot Trail
This trail brought us up close to the slot entrances in the walls of the rocks. We could have spent hours exploring the slots and following their twisting paths deep into the sky high crevices. We found a nest at the top of one of the formations and saw ravens, chipmunks, a jackrabbit, lots of lizards, and an owl throughout the hike, but no rattlesnakes!
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Juniper Draw Trail
This trail followed along the base of the formations and led into a more lush environment of sage, yucca and juniper trees. More spires and cathedral-like formations were carved into the surrounding hills of Panaca Formation bentonite clay and the colors varied from light cream to a deep orange-pink.
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Bullionville
All that’s left of this silver mining town is the cemetery reserved for Mormons. There was a small climb up a hillside to enter the pioneers’ final resting place. The location was selected because level land was required for the five silver ore mills. Many unmarked graves remain without documentation to assist in identification.
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CAMPGROUND REVIEW: CATHEDRAL GORGE STATE PARK CAMPGROUND
We camped at Cathedral Gorge State Park for a week. Site #16 was a spacious, pull through spot with electric hookups only. The site contained a pavilion, picnic table, fire ring, grill and level gravel surface. Trees provided nice shade against the summer heat. The campground was only partially filled and very quiet considering it was a holiday. The park rangers do not interact with the campers at all. The restrooms and showers were only partially functional and could have been cleaned more often. No Wi-Fi and cell service was very spotty. There are many trails accessible from the campground and huge canyon walls surround the area. We enjoyed the abundant wildlife and dark skies.
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Next up…Echo Canyon State Park and Pioche, NV
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