Cathedral Wash Trail, Lee's Ferry, Arizona

Cathedral Wash Trail, Lee's Ferry, Arizona
Had this one on the list for a while. We've driven through the Lee's Ferry area on many occasions, but never stopped and looked around. Until now. The plan was to drive up early Saturday morning and hike Cathedral Wash and then Spencer Trail. We'd then camp out that night and come home Sunday.
Which is what we did. Pretty much. (A wind storm about blew away our tent so we ended up leaving around 3AM.)
But this video is about Cathedral Wash Trail. I've read varying reports about how difficult this trail was. Not from a distance or elevation standpoint; it's a 1.5 mile, +-400 feet elevation change out and back. The difficulty is in the scrambling. Some people said Cathedral Wash Trail was almost technical climbing. Others said it was just a normal hike.
We found it to be fun. There were enough spots you had to climb around to keep it interesting, but nothing that was too exposed or difficult. Your definition of difficult may be different than ours, and that's OK. That's why I like making videos. This way you can see it and decide yourself. I would not recommend dogs on this trail due to the scrambling parts, but I guess that depends on your dog. I saw paw prints all the way to the river.
The scenery is incredible. The walls of the was get higher and higher as you go. It's not a tight canyon by any stretch of the imagination, but the rock formations and benches are unique and beautiful. The pay off at the end is the Colorado river. I always find it impressive. I really liked this location because (at least on our trip) the water was crystal clear and had a green tint.
Cathedral Wash Trail. Short, sweet, fun and beautiful. You can combine it with other hikes in the area to make a great trip. Yet another one that I highly recommend.

[@mbrown1519]

The Glen Canyon Dam opens the gates depending on how much power is needed and how much water is needed downstream henceforth the rise in the tide. Good Video

[@AlanDayley]

Hoping everything is good with Jerry and Tina. They came to mind this morning so, watching the back catalog.

[@JerryArizona]

All good. Been stuck inside for a bit, but we'll be back.

[@oldboater]

Jerry & Tina I really love your videos. You give serious information but don’t take yourself seriously. Fun to watch.

[@carolynwatterson4411]

Jerry and Tina we love your videos and are headed to St George, Kanab, and Page soon. This one is definitely on our list to do. Thanks for all the great content.

[@Wendy-cf5tv]

Did this hike a couple years ago (the day after we hiked the wave)! Loved it! It was “cool”! Great video!

[@michaelarthurdeutrich624]

What a great video. Thanks for charing it with us. 👍

[@joshdcamp]

This was super helpful. Pulled over on a whim at Lee's Ferry and did a quick search. Your video led me to my new favorite hike.

[@JerryArizona]

Glad you enjoyed. It's a great hike.

[@thenatureseekerdudevitaliy97]

It's thanks to you that I found this hike Jerry! One of the best, most beautiful (short) hikes I've ever done.

[@JerryArizona]

It really is a great hike. And with the payoff of the Colorado at the end. I love Lee's Ferry. This, the Spencer Trail and the kayak back haul from Glen Canyon Dam are all great experiences.

[@thenatureseekerdudevitaliy97]

@@JerryArizona I'll try those others next time, thanks for the suggestion.

[@DoubleMEndeavor]

Another great hike to add to our list. Thanks for sharing.

[@PamStucky]

Makes me want t go bouldering there! Thanks for the video, helpful for planning my trip!

[@tsns1]

Cool trip and a great show JA.

[@heathday7360]

We hiked that this past 4th of July weekend. We are very inexperienced hikers and for some reason we went around noon. Terrible idea. It was 118F and no shade. We turned around and got a little heat exhaustion. For the rest of the vacation we called it the Cathedral Death Wash. Lesson learned. Thank you for all the great videos. The west is amazing.

[@JerryArizona]

Thanks! And oh my god. Yeah. No hiking out here where you're exposed in the summer. That's when we go up north or I go canyoneering in water filled canyons. The heat is brutal.

[@nirnet8622]

The second best thing in this video (after the colorado) was the moment u two walked hugged :)

[@LiveThatAdventure]

Great Video guys! Looking forward to hitting this one.

[@ovherlander]

Wow, this looks amazing!

[@OutOfThisVan]

This trail looks incredible! Definitely on my to do list.

[@JerryArizona]

Definitely a fun trail. Check out Spencer Trail also. Just posted a video on it. They're really close and you can knock both out in the same day.

[@evopwrmods]

I'm in the area now and am thinking about trying this out. I drove from Kanab on 89A to Lee's ferry, what a magnificent drive, you see it all and then some just in the car seat. But I feel like that Ive scouted out the area and now get to hiking it....

[@JerryArizona]

This is a great hike. Really enjoyed the back haul/kayak trip from Lees Ferry to Glen Canyon Dam. Spencer Trail is right there too (we hiked Cathedral Wash and Spencer both in a day). Not as fun as Cathedral, but still worth it.

[@corydriver7634]

Years ago we used to boat upstream of the boat ramp at Lee’s Ferry, some of the best trout fishing anywhere. You’re not too far down river of the Glen Canyon dam and Lake Powell. The water level will change relatively quickly with the demand for power and the subsequent release of water from Lake Powell. We used to boat all the way up to the base of the dam and drift back down a mile or so to fish. We’d beach the boats on a sandbar and camp. Sometimes in the mornings the water level would drop to the point or boat would be high and dry for a couple of hours.

[@JerryArizona]

We have a back haul booked to kayak down from the dam. Hopefully we are through this COVID-19 scare by then, but it's not looking promising. Might have to be next year.

[@corydriver7634]

Jerry Arizona that would be fun, we always used to see the rafters come through when we were fishing, always thought that would be fun but never got the chance.

[@JerryArizona]

Got our kayak trip lined up. Can't wait!

[@corydriver7634]

Jerry Arizona looking forward to the YT post.

[@tomfurlong5091]

I watched this for the 2nd time and noticed the date....maybe the last thing posted before the beginning of covid !!!!!

[@JerryArizona]

Good Lord. This trip feels like forever ago. It's been that long?

[@VMiramaxxx]

We did this trail in 2012, all alone, fantastic memory!

[@80808O]

I was going to make a smart ass "cool" comment until I caught myself saying it while watching the video. Thanks as always!

[@JerryArizona]

I appreciate a good smart ass remark.

[@dmerth]

This video led me here in early October 2021. Fantastic hike. Lots of water and mud in October though. Interesting navigating around it but doable and super fun.

[@JerryArizona]

We did Cathedral Wash and Spencer Trail that day. Both were fun, but Cathedral Wash was definitely my favorite. Glad you got to check it out.

[@dixielambrecht7009]

So cool! Thank you for sharing

[@TheMoofy8]

I recently did this..there were a few more pools to go around...so nice to get down to the Colorado!

[@dklindsey1952]

All I can say is ... very cool!

[@kellylundblad2616]

I loved that hike!

[@andrewbrock4636]

just did it yesterday. there were pools along the whole way. it is very technical if you avoid the water. reminded me of tomb raider or uncharted video games. very awesome. also it's about 4-5 miles. all trails is wrong

[@JerryArizona]

My GPS said 4.60 miles, although it gets a little flaky in slot canyons. And yeah, I never trust Alltrails. It's notorious for inaccurate distances. Here's where that water came from. Watch toward the end of this video from about 5 days ago. Cathedral wash was absolutely RAGING. kzbin.info/www/bejne/maqlaXl5md6Sitk

[@deeanna8448]

I have a trip to Arizona in May. I'm so excited for these hikes, but I'm scared of getting lost!

[@JerryArizona]

This one is pretty straightforward. But I recommend you get a GPS device. Lots of people use Alltrails, but personally I prefer Gaia. Works on your iphone as an app, even if you don't have signal.

[@kidabek]

Nice trail !

[@rafaelrieck6655]

Cool! Isn´t it? Yeah, pretty cool!

[@GeorgeAmodei21]

Very "COOL" ...:) I used to live in St George/Hurricane, UTAH and did lots of these fun things. once we Stared from "BuckSkin" Gulch and went to Lees Ferry..Crazyness. ( just make sure that the Weater /Skies North are totoaly clear....once you that deep in theses no climbling those Walls.

[@JerryArizona]

Love Buckskin. I need to do it all the way through to Lee's Ferry one of these days....

[@GeorgeAmodei21]

@@JerryArizona just got back from visiting S. Utah 3 hrs ago. Today!

[@GeorgeAmodei21]

Sorry… I live in Southern California ( nothing to brag about ) 😜👍

[@narwhal004]

We have been doing this trail since before the trail was marked. It's such a cool little trip. My only issue with it is the hike is shorter than the drive. I have the whole canyon memorized now and know the easiest way down and back. :) I'm a local in Flagstaff and I've been using your videos to check out some of the more remote areas. Keep it up! Great content!

[@narwhal004]

To answer your question on the water level, the water has to be let out to ensure the water rights are adhered to down in Mexico to fill out the Delta. They have to let out enough water for that to occur before it reaches Yuma and further onto Mexico. Before the agreement, they were taking 100% of the water before it reached Mexico so now they do flood the delta at routine intervals.

[@JerryArizona]

Good to know. And thank you!

[@evopwrmods]

@@narwhal004 wonder what the Cortez delta was like before the dams, and irrigation farming, and millions of people moved into a desert ?

[@bryceshaw5937]

This is a nice hike, especially if you like to scramble some!

[@JerryArizona]

Yeah. It is so fun and pretty. It's one of those hikes that you are disappointed it's over so quickly.

[@bryceshaw5937]

@@JerryArizona I totally agree, a hidden gem of Arizona!

[@up_an_down]

Wife and I did this hike 4 days ago.. Fun!!

[@JerryArizona]

It's a great trail in a beautiful area. One of my favorites.

[@brianryder9386]

Wow! Reel cool 😎

[@JerryArizona]

This is a great hike. So much fun, and the Colorado River as a payoff.

[@outsidethebox218]

Did it rain earlier in the week elsewhere? Could have been water level catching up. Also the Hoover damn controls how much water is let into the Colorado, sole reason the water is freezing (comes from the bottom where no light is). Could have been the start of a regulated release.

[@JerryArizona]

Someone commented that it was from the dam release. Makes sense. And yeah, that water is freezing.

[@climbjt]

Fuckin cool, fuckin stoked!

[@climbjt]

When you guys gonna do the “rim to rim to rim”???

[@bronsondreleesr4058]

Well hopefully you had your waterproof boots on 😁👍

[@JerryArizona]

They were in the truck, where they belong....

[@nirnet8622]

@@JerryArizona LoL

[@RackinRudy]

wow! we're headed to the area in a few weeks, i'm changing some plans and doing this! i was planning on us doing the Canyon X tour in Antelope Canyon but this looks way better!!! and its free?!?

[@JerryArizona]

There is a pay station on the way in for a day use permit. Not sure how much it is, but otherwise no permits or anything. I HIGHLY recommend you look into Wire Pass to Buckskin Gulch and White Pocket (if you have high clearance 4WD) if you're out there. I've heard good things about Canyon X but haven't done it. Did the bottom up kayak to Antelope and wasn't overly impressed. May do the more touristy upper antelope soon though. But for a non-guided tour, I absolutely loved Cathedral Wash.

[@RackinRudy]

@@JerryArizona thanks for the reply! I was seriously considering buckskin gulch but the latest reviews on TripAdvisor people are saying the ladder is broke and can't go further and muddy right now.

[@purpguy69]

But how cool is it?

[@JerryArizona]

I may not have mentioned it, but it was pretty cool

[@Briefmeasurement61]

Rivers reach their highest flow rate typically in the late afternoon when it's warmest.

[@uteeller9884]

How do you find your way without getting lost between these huge rocks ?

[@JerryArizona]

Just experience. You do enough of this and you can kind of figure your way around things. Definitely some problem solving involved in this canyon.

[@jeanchenhappy]

May I know how long it took roundtrip on this trail? TIA!

[@JerryArizona]

My gps shows 4.6 miles, 465 ft of elevation change and 3 hours.

[@jeanchenhappy]

@@JerryArizona Thanks much! This sounds doable for us. I just don't know about the 95 degree heat in June. :-| I love your videos with your wife!

[@ckcortez1001]

What time of day & year did you do this hike? Thx

[@JerryArizona]

We went the end of Feb/first of March. We hiked Cathedral Wash first thing in the morning, then did Spencer Trail in the afternoon.

[@jamesd.swanson2935]

Super danger in Floods too ?

[@JerryArizona]

Absolutely. Always check for flash floods when you go in canyons. This one definitely can flash.

[@annanguyen3915]

Was it hard?

[@JerryArizona]

It's all relative. We hiked this and then went to Spencer Trail and hiked that. Spencer seemed a lot harder due to all the elevation gain. But Cathedral Wash can be intimidating if you aren't used to some scrambling.

[@barbaramelanson7739]

Scares me how out of breath he is

[@JerryArizona]

Well, it's been a couple years and I'm still climbing mountains. Funny. I didn't think this was a tough hike. I need to pay more attention to catching my breath before talking into the camera, I guess.