About two hours north of Las Vegas, in what appears to be the middle of the desert, sits the dramatic topography of Cathedral Gorge State Park. Far from the fiery vistas of Nevada’s Red Rock Canyon, Cathedral Gorge spans around 2,000 acres off the Great Basin Highway. Small towns dot the roadside, including Caliente, a quaint village with majestic mountain views and unspoiled desert. The region is largely uninhabited and perfect for an escape from the overcrowded streets of Vegas.
Cathedral Gorge State Park doesn’t have an abundance of trails, shooting for quality over quantity. Inside its boundaries, you’ll find the mesmerizing Moon Caves, a unique type of slot canyon forming labyrinthine walkways. You don’t have to venture far to get dramatic views of these tightly packed spires as they climb skyward, making them one of the most iconic natural features of the state park.
Several other trails in Cathedral Gorge are worth exploring, and you’ll find a few hidden gems buried in the Nevada landscape just a short drive away. That makes Cathedral Gorge a worthwhile destination while traveling through the Southwest, especially if you’re looking for solitude out in the Nevada mountains.
Weave your way through Cathedral Gorge’s Moon Caves
Once you’ve entered Cathedral Gorge State Park from Highway 93, keep to your right and you’ll eventually hit a small parking area for the Moon Caves. Carved slowly as the bentonite clay eroded, you’ll now find a series of spires and slot canyons cutting into the cliffside. You can walk directly into this area, weaving between narrow rock walls for stunning, up-close views of the formations. Be sure to look skyward to snap pictures of the small openings overhead (though these are called “caves”, very rarely are you fully enclosed)…