Cathedral Wash

Around Page - Arizona

3150 ft
Altitude above sea level: Lee's Ferry

Coordinate:
Trailhead:
Latitude 36.833686, Longitude -111.640249 

Here are the GPX files of our hike

Our visits: So far 1 visit in May 2013

Trailhead. We hike the Lower Wash down to the Colorado

Lower Cathedral Wash

Description: Lower Cathedral Wash Trail leads through a canyon down to the Colorado River. The trailhead for the hike is on Lee's Ferry Rd a few miles north of the small town of Marble Canyon.

From the parking lot a small slope leads down into the wash. In this wash you hike quite leisurely, heading east. The trail is relatively level and the hike is easy. There are a few small drops that you can pass without any difficulty.

After about a mile you are facing a 33ft deep dryfall. You can bypass it on the right side and climb down into the wash. From here you have to look for the way again and again and also change the sides once or twice. Hiking in the wash is not possible most of the time. From time to time a second person is helpful, who can give you a hand when climbing up and down. If you like climbing, this is the right hike for you. The climbing passage is not very long. After a few hundred meters the fun is over. 

The last few feet to the Colorado you hike now again relatively flat in the wash. Since you hike in a canyon you should keep in mind that the temperatures can be very high. There is hardly any shade. Therefore, even if the hike is not very long, you should take enough water and headgear.

Here we start the hike.
First smaller drop
Dryfall after about a mile of trail
Climbing from left to right and back
Cathedral Wash
The last little stretch to the Colorado

Trail length: 3.6mi roundtrip
Altitude difference: approx. 328ft
Time needed: 2-3 hours
Difficulty level: moderate - The path is sometimes not easy to find and now and then you have to climb a little. Hiking with a partner is an advantage here because a helping hand is quite useful from time to time.

Our rating: We have made the hike in May 2013. Except for the small climbing passage in the second third of the hike, the path is quite unspectacular. The climbing was unusual at first, but was ultimately fun and was also a little challenge. 

3.5/5
The goal, we reached the colorado river