Backpacker – September 2019

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
104 BACKPACKER.COM

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UNCOVERED

Hike to this month’s cover shot.

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Cathedral Rock

COCONINO NATIONAL FOREST, ARIZONA

Catch sunset from a redrock throne on this popular dayhike. By Adam Roy

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GET HERE

At a mere 1.5 miles round-trip, the scramble

up to Cathedral Rock isn’t long, but that

doesn’t mean it’s easy. Start at the trailhead

of the same name and follow a series of

cairns across a dry wash. A quarter-mile

in, the trail gains a wide ledge with views

over the valley, before climbing up a steep

stone slope (look for incut footholds). Pick

your way across the ledge system, following

cairns, until you reach a saddle in the middle

of the rock. Find your per fect spot (a social

path provides access to the western toe of

the spires), then settle in for the sunset.

DO IT

TRAILHEAD 34.8253, -111.7886

SEASON Year-round, but temperatures

are best in spring and fall, roughly

March to May and September to November

PERMIT None CONTACT bit.do/

cathedralrock

MINGUS

MOUNTAIN

7,818 feet

GO BACK IN TIME

Sedona’s legendary sandstone

spires are part of the Schnebly

Hill Formation, a layer of rock

deposited by ancient sand dunes

and seas. The feature is named

after T.C. and Sedona Schnebly,

who built the area’s first hotel,

general store, and post office.

GO VERTICAL

The Mace, a freestanding

spire in the Cathedral Rock

formation, has attracted

climbers since 1957. Rack up

and tackle it via the five-pitch

Original Route (5.9+).

GO LONGER

Located just 15 minutes from Sedona, the Secret Canyon

Tra i l weaves in and out of a shady, sandstone ravine,

passing groves of ponderosa pine and oak. From the

trailhead, follow an old road bed for 2 miles through yucca

and cactus before the trail drops into the canyon. Trace the

dry creek as it climbs into the Red Rock-Secret Mountain

Wilderness. Pick out a shady spot to pitch your tent near

where the trail dead-ends at a series of pools, then r etrace

your steps the next day for an 11-mile round-trip hike.

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