deborah Wall/special to ViewCathedral Gorge State Park?s cliffs, spires and tight canyons can best be seen from the Miller?s Point Overlook, considered the finest overlook in the park.
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Cathedral Gorge State Park is famous for its badlands of cliffs, spires and tight canyons. Made up of soft bentonite clay, these formations offer a great natural playground for adults and children alike.
The badland terrain was created by erosion. Around 1 million years ago, this area was a freshwater lake. With climate change, uplifting and faulting, the lake dried up and sediments on the lake bottom were exposed. The hardened clay is still soft by geological standards, so rain, snow, freeze-and-thaw cycles, heat expansion and wind carved small gullies. The gullies naturally widened and weathered over the years and still are doing so. This is a constantly changing landscape.
The ideal way to visit the park is spending a couple of days there, but even if you are limited on time, taking the short trail to Miller's Point will take you by some of the best formations and to the finest overlook in the park. The 1-mile, round-trip hike travels along the valley floor at the base of the park's eastern escarpment. It is an easy hike, except for the last segment, where you will need to climb a series of man-made stairs -- overall about 100 feet -- to reach the overlook.
September and October are ideal times to visit. Expect average daytime temperatures in the 70s and 80s, with cooler temperatures overnight.
At first look, the colors in the park may appear drab, but in different lighting, especially at sunrise and sunset, the buff-colored cliffs become a multi-hued array of pinks, blues and grays.
As you travel this trail, take the time to turn aside and poke around the landscape. You will be pleasantly surprised to find small canyons leading to other more narrow ones. Some of these areas are often referred to as caves, because the caprock on the two sides meets at the top, creating a cave-like feeling.
Stay off the clay if it is wet, as it becomes slippery enough to be hazardous, and so soft that walking on it can change the natural patterns of erosion.
Area residents have enjoyed the gorge for more than a century. In the 1890s, Mrs. Earl Godbe, a resident of the nearby silver mining camp of Bullionville, was a frequent visitor. She thought the spires and formations looked like European cathedrals and she named it Cathedral Gulch. The name later was changed to Cathedral Gorge.
Others who spent time there included the Edwards family of nearby Panaca. They would let their children explore the hard clay formations, and in the 1920s were the force behind preserving and protecting their natural playground. The gorge became a state park by act of the Nevada Legislature in 1935.
On the clay cliffs and formations themselves you won't find any vegetation. This is because constant erosion denies roots any opportunities to take hold. But on the valley floor, the soil is loamy and some desert vegetation grows. You will find narrowleaf yucca, juniper, sagebrush, greasewood, shadscale and four-winged salt-bush.
These provide a good habitat for the park's wildlife. Look for tracks in the sandy or dried mud areas for black-tailed jack rabbits, cottontail rabbits, coyote and grey foxes. During the fall and winter, deer also can be found there.
Ravens, American kestrels and hawks often are spotted in the park, and over the next two months, many migratory birds pass through. Toward the end of September, look for cedar waxwings, which stop by for a treat from the Russian olive trees. In October and November, ruby-crowned kinglets often are seen around the visitor center. Others that make brief stopovers include tanagers and a variety of hummingbirds.
The park offers ranger programs on Saturdays through Oct. 20. On Sept. 15, the park will feature a night of rocks and stars. Ranger Barbara Rohde will give a presentation called Life Cycle of a Rock, on the park's geology. Then, members of the Las Vegas Astronomical Society will put on a star party, where they will share their high-powered telescopes to let visitors examine the spectacular night skies.
It has been a very dry year at the park. As of mid-August, total precipitation had reached only 3 1/2 inches. An average year brings 10 to 12 inches. Open fires are restricted, but table-top camp stoves still are allowed. Authorities expect to lift the restrictions by Labor Day weekend.
The Civilian Conservation Corps, a public works agency formed during the Great Depression, built the campground, stone water tower and restroom, as well as the ramada at Miller's Point.
There are 24 developed campsites in the park, available on a first-come, first-served basis. Each site has a shade ramada, picnic table and grill; and restrooms and showers are located nearby. There also are two group areas, each with a large pavilion, picnic tables, grills, drinking water and showers. Group sites can be reserved through the Regional Information Center. One of the group sites and two of the family sites are handicapped-accessible.
The Regional Information Center is located at the entrance of the park and serves as an information center for all of eastern Nevada, including the area's seven state parks.
Deborah Wall is the author of "Great Hikes, A Cerca Country Guide," published by Stephens Press. She can be reached at Deborabus@aol.com.
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