Cathedral Gorge State Park, Panaca, Nevada

This park is more a giant box canyon than a gorge. This is the upper end.

This is looking towards the mouth. The trees in the center are planted in the little campground.

Whatever you want to call it, it is wonderful to be back in a public campground with some privacy.

These sites are very nice, with trees and a shade structure. We would have enjoyed sitting out more if the wind hadn’t been blowing about 30mph every day.

The open valley below the park really had some dust blowing. The park was more protected and had less open ground, so at least we had no visible dust.

The wind didn’t affect the main attraction here. These intricately eroded banks gave the park its name as they looked to an early resident like the cathedrals of Europe.

And they are full of openings,

some of which go quite far in,

but they stay open to the sky.

It is cool and quiet in the slots and we brought Matey one day so he could enjoy it, but I don’t think he did.

This is yet another park that was developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps and the water tower they built still stands,

as does this restroom, that blends so well with the cliffs. Neither are in use, the well water pumped into the tower was too alkaline.

The structure of the restroom is still sound a hundred years later, but I doubt the workings are practical these days.

I’ve had the chance to walk all of the trails. Juniper Draw Loop goes back from the campground by a central group of eroded spires.

Then it goes towards the back of the gorge,

and returns along the north side.

The Miller Point Overlook Trail breaks off the that north side of the Juniper Draw Trail.

It follows a wash up,

to an overlook.

A lot of stairs…

take you to the top,

where there’s a gazebo, also made by the CCC.

The view is of the gulch you just ascended.

Bud drove up and met me at the nearby Eagle Point Trail. I love all the detailed information they post on the trails.

Walking out we got a view of the upper canyon.

We hiked out along this spine of land. This is looking back.

We came to this overlook of the front part of the canyon.

Yesterday I hiked Hawk’s Landing Trail which leads from the campground down a wash to intersect with Hawk’s Ridge Trail.

That trail takes you to the top of the south rim. You get a view of the mountains to the southwest,

and the canyon to the north.

That’s the campground,

and that’s the central mount I walked by on the Juniper Draw Loop.

A bit further along the trail curved back on itself and seemed to disappear.

It just dropped over the edge and then made switchbacks down the side of the gorge.

It joined the Juniper Draw Loop at the bottom and I walked back along that central pile of rocks and across to the campground.

We have had a good time enjoying the nice little campground in the middle of this unique landform.