Cathedral Rock is a mountain peak in Yavapai County, Arizona at about 1,500 m (4,921 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 5.2 km (3.2 mi) NNW of Village of Oak Creek (Big Park).
Cathedral Rock is a natural sandstone butte near Sedona, Arizona, United States, and one of the most-photographed sights in the state. The rock formation is located in Coconino National Forest in Yavapai County, about 1 mile (1.6 km) west of State Route 179 (SR 179), and about 2.5 mi (4.0 km) south of the "Y" intersection of SR 179 and SR 89A in uptown Sedona. The summit elevation of Cathedral Rock is 4,967 ft (1,514 m). The Cathedral Rock trail (USFS Trail #170) is a popular short, steep ascent from the Back O' Beyond trailhead to the saddle points or "gaps" in Cathedral Rock. Geologically, Cathedral Rock is carved from the Permian Schnebly Hill formation, a redbed sandstone formed from coastal sand dunes near the shoreline of the ancient Pedregosa Sea. Ripple marks are prominent along the lower Cathedral Rock trail, and a black basalt dike may be seen in the first saddle. Cathedral...From the Wikipedia article “Cathedral Rock”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Cathedral Rock the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 79° in summer but only 32° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:32 AM | 90° E | 6:39 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:15 AM | 61° ENE | 7:45 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 30m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:16 AM | 89° E | 6:25 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:32 AM | 118° ESE | 5:20 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 49m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:07 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:13 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:07 PM | 10h 05m |
| February | 6:48 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:36 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:36 PM | 10h 57m |
| March | 6:13 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:12 AM | 6:02 PM | 6:35 PM | 7:00 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:30 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:30 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:26 PM | 13h 04m |
| May | 4:57 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:52 PM | 13h 59m |
| June | 4:44 AM | 5:14 AM | 5:51 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:13 PM | 14h 29m |
| July | 4:57 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:11 PM | 14h 16m |
| August | 5:22 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:44 PM | 13h 28m |
| September | 5:46 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:44 AM | 6:02 PM | 6:36 PM | 7:01 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:08 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:08 AM | 5:20 PM | 5:54 PM | 6:19 PM | 11h 20m |
| November | 6:35 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:39 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:50 PM | 10h 21m |
| December | 7:00 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:07 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:18 PM | 5:46 PM | 9h 50m |
Local time (America/Phoenix), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Cathedral Rock, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 5:05 AM – 5:45 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:19 AM – 5:09 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:18 AM – 4:18 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 11:22 PM – 3:42 AM | 4.3 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:29 PM – 3:19 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:24 PM – 1:54 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:49 PM – 11:59 PM | 3.2 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 8:01 PM – 9:51 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:17 PM – 7:57 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.07 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 18% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (51%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 68 | 70 | 79 | 85 | 94 | 102 | 102 | 100 | 96 | 87 | 78 | 70 |
| Low °F | -14 | 0 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 36 | 48 | 48 | 33 | 19 | 13 | -8 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.9 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 2.0 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this mountain peak
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer at high elevations — plan summit hikes for early morning.
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- Alpenglow lasts only a few minutes; set up and focus beforehand.
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lightweight tripod, Warm layers, Microspikes in shoulder seasons. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Cathedral Rock, closest first.
State Park
Rock Formation
Rock Formation
Dark Sky Place
Dark Sky Place
Wilderness AreaNational Forest
Natural Arch
Natural ArchCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Crescent Moon Ranch Cabin1.0 km (0.6 mi) · reservable
- Crescent Moon Ramada1.5 km (1.0 mi) · reservable
- Chavez Crossing3.0 km (1.9 mi) · reservable
- Manzanita.14.3 km (8.9 mi) · reservable
- Cave Spring20 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Cathedral Rock?
What time is golden hour at Cathedral Rock?
Where does the sun rise and set at Cathedral Rock?
Can you see the Milky Way from Cathedral Rock?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Cathedral Rock?
How far is Cathedral Rock from Village of Oak Creek (Big Park)?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.