The Golden Cathedral

A rare one, even for us

The Golden Cathedral is one of Escalante's most photographed places — but we're a Kanab outfit, and Escalante is a solid two hours north of us, so a day trip this far out isn't something we normally run. Marking 25 years is the reason for the exception: Paul and Sunny are leading a pair of Escalante classics over back-to-back days, and the Golden Cathedral is one of them.

Want to make a proper trip of it? Come the day before for the Cosmic Ashtray — an equally wild full day — and stay the night in Escalante between the two. Two big days, back to back.

The reward at the end of the river

Paul and Sunny have covered a lot of this country along Hole-in-the-Rock Road, together and on their own, and the Golden Cathedral sits near the top of the list out here.

It's a huge domed alcove at the mouth of Neon Canyon, where the sandstone arches overhead and two big potholes have worn clean through the roof — skylights, basically — with a quiet green pool sitting underneath. When the sun climbs high enough to bounce off the water, the whole chamber lights up gold. It's the kind of place that goes quiet the moment you walk in.

Getting there is half of it: a drop down the slickrock, a stretch along the Escalante River with your feet in the water more than once, and a last mile up Neon Canyon to the Cathedral. Paul and Sunny handle the route and the crossings, so you can just take it in.

The Cathedral, mirror-still — arch, sky, and a cottonwood turning gold

How the day goes

• Meet in Escalante. 8:00 am at the Canyon Country Lodge — easy parking there — say hello to Paul and Sunny, then load into the trucks.
• Drive to the trailhead. About 45 minutes — down Hole-in-the-Rock Road (they've started paving it), then the rough side road out to the Egypt trailhead that our trucks are built for.
• Down to the river. A steep slickrock descent off the Egypt bench, then across open desert to the Escalante River.
• Along the river and up Neon. You follow the river downstream, crossing it a few times (the water's cold in November), then turn up Neon Canyon for the last stretch.
• The Golden Cathedral. Lunch by the pool, photos, and time to sit under those skylights while the light does its thing.
• Back the way you came. Up out of the canyon and the drive back to Escalante, in by evening.

The Escalante in November — a few cold crossings come with the day

A long, beautiful day on the river

This is one of our bigger, tougher day-hikes — a notch harder than the Cosmic Ashtray, if you're doing both. It's roughly nine and a half miles round trip, starting with a steep slickrock descent, then open desert and several crossings of the Escalante River. In November that water is cold and usually somewhere between ankle- and thigh-deep, so wet, cold feet are part of the deal. It isn't technical — no ropes, no swimming required — just a long day with real miles and some wading.

If you're up for a full day on your feet and don't mind getting your feet wet, you'll love it. Paul and Sunny handle the route, the river, and the pace; you bring shoes that can get wet and the legs for the miles. Not sure it's your kind of day? Just ask, and you'll get a straight answer.

The quick facts