Climbing Forecast › Sedona › Cathedral Rock (Sedona)

SEDONA · DESERT SANDSTONE

Cathedral Rock (Sedona) weather & climbing conditions

Caution — drying out or marginal

Right now

Temp41°F
Wind4 mph
Gusts6 mph
Humidity94.8%
Rain 48hdry
Last rain56h ago

Assessment

Should be dry
Desert sandstone — check base sand is powder-dry before climbing
Humidity 94.8% — potential fog/cloud, rock may be damp from condensation
Schnebly Hill sandstone varies from compact to 'brown sugar' friable — test every hold before weighting it

7-day forecast

Scroll through each day — hourly detail is shown inline.

Today Sunday 25 October
Caution
Temp61°F
Raindry
Wind6 mph
Gusts6 mph
Humidity49%
Should be dryDesert sandstone — check base sand is powder-dry before climbing
  • Check the sand at the base is powder-dry before climbing — if it clumps together, the rock is still wet inside
  • Good friction temperature range for desert sandstone
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 39° dry 4 — 95.2%
07:00 39° dry 4 — 95.1%
08:00 46° dry 4 — 90.2%
09:00 52° dry 2 — 68.6%
10:00 55° dry 3 — 64.9%
11:00 58° dry 5 — 59.8%
12:00 60° dry 7 — 53%
13:00 62° dry 7 — 44.3%
14:00 63° dry 6 — 41.2%
15:00 63° dry 5 — 40.4%
16:00 63° dry 4 — 39.7%
17:00 61° dry 2 — 54.3%
18:00 55° dry 2 — 55.4%
19:00 52° dry 3 — 61.8%
20:00 47° dry 5 — 75.8%
21:00 44° dry 7 — 84.4%
Mon Monday 26 October
Caution
Temp64°F
Raindry
Wind6 mph
Gusts—
Humidity43%
Should be dryDesert sandstone — check base sand is powder-dry before climbing
  • Check the sand at the base is powder-dry before climbing — if it clumps together, the rock is still wet inside
  • Good friction temperature range for desert sandstone
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 43° dry 9 — 80.3%
07:00 43° dry 8 — 79.5%
08:00 50° dry 7 — 68.9%
09:00 56° dry 4 — 58.7%
10:00 59° dry 4 — 56.4%
11:00 62° dry 5 — 53%
12:00 64° dry 6 — 47.5%
13:00 65° dry 8 — 40.2%
14:00 67° dry 6 — 35%
15:00 67° dry 5 — 32.5%
16:00 66° dry 4 — 35.3%
17:00 62° dry 2 — 54.3%
18:00 57° dry 4 — 52.4%
19:00 54° dry 3 — 54.2%
20:00 50° dry 3 — 65.6%
21:00 47° dry 3 — 71%
Tue Tuesday 27 October
Good
Temp64°F
Raindry
Wind6 mph
Gusts—
Humidity42%
Should be dry
  • Check the sand at the base is powder-dry before climbing — if it clumps together, the rock is still wet inside
  • Good friction temperature range for desert sandstone
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 42° dry 3 — 74.5%
07:00 42° dry 3 — 76.7%
08:00 48° dry 3 — 71.3%
09:00 56° dry 2 — 52.7%
10:00 58° dry 5 — 51.2%
11:00 61° dry 6 — 46.1%
12:00 64° dry 7 — 41.7%
13:00 65° dry 7 — 38.3%
14:00 67° dry 6 — 36.3%
15:00 67° dry 6 — 37.6%
16:00 66° dry 6 — 39.3%
17:00 63° dry 3 — 55.3%
Wed Wednesday 28 October
Good
Temp66°F
Raindry
Wind2 mph
Gusts—
Humidity39%
Should be dry
  • Check the sand at the base is powder-dry before climbing — if it clumps together, the rock is still wet inside
  • Good friction temperature range for desert sandstone
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
11:00 65° dry 2 — 39.2%
17:00 66° dry 1 — 52%
Thu Thursday 29 October
Good
Temp66°F
Raindry
Wind3 mph
Gusts—
Humidity42%
Should be dry
  • Check the sand at the base is powder-dry before climbing — if it clumps together, the rock is still wet inside
  • Good friction temperature range for desert sandstone
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
11:00 66° dry 3 — 41.8%
17:00 65° dry 2 — 45.7%
Fri Friday 30 October
Poor
Temp55°F
Rain0.06 in
Wind3 mph
Gusts—
Humidity82%
1.5mm rain forecastDo not climb wet desert sandstone — holds break and cams pull
  • Do not climb — wet desert sandstone is severely weakened, cams can pull and holds break, permanently damaging the route
  • Good friction temperature range for desert sandstone
  • Elevated humidity for a desert crag — subsurface drying will be slower than expected
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
11:00 56° 0.03 in 3 — 81.8%
17:00 53° dry 2 — 95.3%
Sat Saturday 31 October
Poor
Temp59°F
Rain0.08 in
Wind7 mph
Gusts—
Humidity70%
2.1mm rain forecastDo not climb wet desert sandstone — holds break and cams pull
  • Do not climb — wet desert sandstone is severely weakened, cams can pull and holds break, permanently damaging the route
  • Good friction temperature range for desert sandstone
  • Elevated humidity for a desert crag — subsurface drying will be slower than expected
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
11:00 60° 0.00 in 7 — 69.7%
17:00 58° 0.03 in 6 — 75.5%
Sun Sunday 1 November
Poor
Temp52°F
Rain0.2 in
Wind2 mph
Gusts—
Humidity95%
4.1mm rain forecastDo not climb wet desert sandstone — holds break and cams pullHumidity 95% — likely fog/cloud
  • Do not climb — wet desert sandstone is severely weakened, cams can pull and holds break, permanently damaging the route
  • Good friction temperature range for desert sandstone
  • Elevated humidity for a desert crag — subsurface drying will be slower than expected
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
11:00 52° 0.09 in 2 — 94.7%
17:00 52° dry 1 — 85.3%

About Cathedral Rock (Sedona)

Cathedral Rock is the most iconic climbing formation in Sedona — a cluster of Schnebly Hill Formation sandstone spires including The Mace, The Priest (not to be confused with Castle Valley's), and adjacent formations. Schnebly Hill sandstone quality is highly variable ('very good to very bad, some sections compact and reliable, others soft and brittle akin to dried brown sugar') — expect variable rock even on established lines and treat any hollow-sounding hold as suspect. Same 48h wet-sandstone rule as Moab: 'holds break off and climbs have been permanently damaged'. Predominantly north exposure makes it an ideal spring undertaking and a bearable August shady climb.

Region
Sedona
Rock type
Desert sandstone
Aspect
north-facing
Altitude
4593 ft
Exposure
high
Seepage
low

Other crags in this region

Coffee Pot Rock + Boynton Canyon (West Sedona)Oak Creek Spire (Village of Oak Creek)