Right now

Temp77°F

Wind3 mph

Gusts4 mph

Humidity35.3%

Rain 48hdry

Last rainNone recent

Assessment

No recent rain

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 Thursday 10 September

Good

Temp77°F

Raindry

Wind3 mph

Gusts4 mph

Humidity39%

No recent rain

Check the sand at the base is powder-dry before climbing — if it clumps together, the rock is still wet inside

Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum

09:00 77° dry 3 — 35.3%

10:00 76° dry 2 — 37.4%

11:00 76° dry 2 — 38.5%

12:00 75° dry 3 — 41.1%

13:00 72° dry 3 — 45.3%

14:00 73° dry 4 — 44%

15:00 81° dry 3 — 34.8%

16:00 85° dry 4 — 31.6%

17:00 88° dry 6 — 29%

18:00 91° dry 6 — 25.2%

19:00 93° dry 6 — 22.7%

20:00 96° dry 8 — 18%

21:00 97° dry 8 — 15%

Fri Friday 11 September

Poor

Temp77°F

Rain0.05 in

Wind4 mph

Gusts—

Humidity44%

1.3mm 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

Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum

06:00 81° dry 2 — 35.6%

07:00 80° dry 2 — 38.1%

08:00 79° dry 2 — 38.5%

09:00 78° dry 2 — 39.6%

10:00 78° dry 3 — 41.4%

11:00 76° dry 3 — 42.7%

12:00 76° dry 3 — 44.1%

13:00 75° dry 2 — 46.1%

14:00 76° dry 3 — 46.4%

15:00 79° dry 5 — 43.7%

16:00 82° dry 6 — 41.5%

17:00 85° dry 7 — 37.7%

18:00 88° dry 9 — 32.9%

19:00 91° 0.01 in 9 — 30.5%

20:00 88° 0.01 in 11 — 34%

21:00 91° dry 9 — 27.3%

Sat Saturday 12 September

Poor

Temp73°F

Rain0.04 in

Wind2 mph

Gusts—

Humidity57%

1.1mm 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

Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum

06:00 76° dry 1 — 56.9%

07:00 75° dry 2 — 58.1%

08:00 74° dry 2 — 58.1%

09:00 74° dry 2 — 58.1%

10:00 73° dry 2 — 57.5%

11:00 73° dry 2 — 57.3%

12:00 72° dry 2 — 58.5%

13:00 71° dry 1 — 60.4%

14:00 73° dry 2 — 59%

15:00 76° dry 2 — 53.3%

16:00 79° dry 3 — 50.5%

17:00 82° dry 5 — 47.7%

18:00 85° dry 6 — 43.4%

19:00 87° dry 7 — 38.4%

20:00 89° dry 8 — 35.6%

21:00 90° dry 8 — 33.3%

Sun Sunday 13 September

Poor

Temp70°F

Rain0.02 in

Wind2 mph

Gusts—

Humidity72%

0.4mm 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
Elevated humidity for a desert crag — subsurface drying will be slower than expected

Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum

06:00 75° dry 4 — 61.6%

12:00 70° 0.00 in 2 — 71.9%

18:00 80° 0.01 in 8 — 56.4%

Mon Monday 14 September

Poor

Temp68°F

Rain0.00 in

Wind3 mph

Gusts—

Humidity80%

Should be dryOnly 18h since rain — desert sandstone 48h minimum wait

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
Elevated humidity for a desert crag — subsurface drying will be slower than expected

Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum

06:00 72° dry 1 — 75.6%

12:00 69° dry 3 — 80.4%

18:00 81° dry 4 — 45.5%

Tue Tuesday 15 September

Poor

Temp68°F

Raindry

Wind2 mph

Gusts—

Humidity62%

Should be dryOnly 42h since rain — desert sandstone 48h minimum wait

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
Elevated humidity for a desert crag — subsurface drying will be slower than expected

Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum

06:00 74° dry 2 — 56.3%

12:00 69° dry 2 — 61.9%

18:00 83° dry 5 — 37.6%

Wed Wednesday 16 September

Caution

Temp70°F

Raindry

Wind1 mph

Gusts—

Humidity65%

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
Elevated humidity for a desert crag — subsurface drying will be slower than expected

Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum

06:00 75° dry 2 — 55.2%

12:00 69° dry 1 — 64.9%

18:00 84° dry 4 — 38.5%

Thu Thursday 17 September

Caution

Temp64°F

Raindry

Wind4 mph

Gusts—

Humidity63%

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
Elevated humidity for a desert crag — subsurface drying will be slower than expected

Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum

06:00 75° dry 2 — 44.9%

12:00 64° dry 4 — 63%

18:00 88° dry 5 — 24.3%

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. The Mace (5.9+, 5p) was the first technical ascent of a Sedona spire and remains the classic — bodyswallowing chimneys, spacious belays, and a final memorable step-across between the two summit blocks. 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)