Cathedral Rock Loop: Hiline and Templeton Trails is a 8 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Sedona, Arizona that offers the chance to see wildlife and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, running, nature trips, and mountain biking. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
Users report that trail can be difficult to navigate, make sure to check the signs. Some parts of this hike can get steep and rocky. Watch out for bikers!
April 22, 2021It was awesome! Perfect day for it! We did pass a rattlesnake
April 22, 2021Lovely trail. Very runnable and fun little scramble if you decide to use the split to get up to the peak. Trail shoots off in a lot of different directions so it’s fairly easy to take a wrong turn
April 18, 2021This was a wonderful adventure! The Hiline section was truly fantastic. Tip: if parking is a concern at Yavapai, try parking at the Baldwin TH on the west side of Cathedral, and you take the Baldwin trail in a half mile or so to get on the loop as shown. This will give you a 9 mile total distance but it’s not that hard a hike. We are 57 and were fine. We do recommend doing it counterclockwise tho because there’s a brief steep section on Hiline that is MUCH earlier to ascend than descend. It’s no big deal tho. This is a wonderful loop with fantastic views. Bring plenty of water. On our April 9 hike temps were low to mid 70s, and I went thru my two 24oz bottles.
April 18, 2021Great trail! Definitely a work out. Watch for mountain bikers, they are hauling butt through here sometimes.
April 16, 2021Did this hike on 14 Nov 2020. Great Hike, Beautiful Day. Lots of Shade until the backside of HiLine trail. Overall, great!
April 10, 2021Great. Got there at 6am- no parking. Doesn’t matter if you go early or late, parking sucks. Quite the climb up. Beautiful views. Trail is marked very well
April 9, 2021One of the best in Sedona. Lots of different terrain with great views. We parked at 8am on a Friday in a half full lot.
April 9, 2021Moderate?? That first section of downhill is more than moderate. Ha
April 9, 2021If you want a good uphill cardio hike go counterclockwise-if you want a mostly down with some uphill climbs go clockwise. Beautiful vistas either way.
April 5, 2021Got to the parking lot by 7:30, only a few other cars. A beautiful hike, diverse/varied terrain! Views of Bell Rock, Cathedral, Courthouse and the north end. Spectacular to see such life in the desert. A bit of a scramble on the back side of the Hiline trail, be careful and listen for bikers. Oak Creek is flowing nicely. Saw lots of Juniper, Manzanita, Ocotillo, Prickly Pear, Agave.. one adorable hummingbird.
April 2, 2021Amazing views. When loop begins DEFINITELY take the left route! Much easier because you head uphill for the first mile and then most of the rest is downhill or flat. It kicked our butts after hiking Devil’s Bridge and Birthing Cave at sunrise. I recommend this for people who are strong hikers and adventurous.
April 2, 2021lots of obstacles to climb over, found it difficult.
April 2, 2021This was an amazing trail! There was lots of variety—cliffs, below tree line climbing, at least some shade towards the middle, a stream, a nice breeze at times. Another plus was that there was plenty of parking at 8 AM. Agree with others that counterclockwise is the way to go.
April 1, 2021Amazing trail! Best hike I’ve ever done. My 10-year-old son and I started at the trail head around 6:15am, just as the sun was rising. We did the trail counter-clockwise, based on recommendations I saw on this site. Mid-way though the Hiline trail, the descent would be really hard - we saw a few people trying to work through it. Beautiful views on both sides - the Hiline trail is not for the faint of heart! The views are STUNNING!
March 29, 2021We hiked the trail on March 28 which was a beautiful day that followed a day of light rains. Skies were blue and temps between 45 and 60 which was perfect. We did the trail clockwise which we liked because it saves the part by lovey Oak Creek to about the 3/4 mark of the hike. Clockwise does present one somewhat difficult downhill scramble on the backside of the Rock. It goes on for 75-100 yards but we managed fine and are in our 70s. There were probably more bikers than hikers but they were all polite. We took a bit over 4 hours on the hike but we took our time, lots of photos and enjoyed the gorgeous day.
March 29, 2021March 28, 2021We went counterclockwise and it was much easier then clockwise. I would recommend it. The view in the first few miles were amazing. We took a rest at the river 4 miles in.
March 26, 2021March 24, 2021March 22, 2021This trail has it all. Long enough distance to make it worth while, decent elevation change, landscape change from desert rocky, forested, and creek side. Bring lots of water, even in 60 degree temp with a breeze it was quite warm. There are some challenging rocky spots that are more difficult than moderate but overall very doable but rewarding for experienced hikers.
March 20, 2021Easy hike, I think best if done clockwise; I considered going up onto cathedral rock, but there were so many people that I didn't to spend time in a line going up the one steep pitch.
March 19, 2021Super scenic! Little bit of everything! Watch out for mountain bikers.
March 15, 2021March 15, 2021What an INCREDIBLE experience. We left at 12:30pm and walked counterclockwise- very glad we did so the sun was shining on the rocks at the best angle through the whole hike. I wouldn’t suggest leaving much later than that though to not risk being out there once it gets dark. We barely ran into any other hikers along the way other than at the Cathedral Rock trail merge and any bikers we saw were very respectful. Climbing the Cathedral Rock portion was absolutely ridiculous how crowded and how difficult the climb was- not worth the effort, better views elsewhere on the trail. 10/10 best hike ever
March 15, 2021I went counterclockwise. I highly recommend this approach, especially for the ascent on Hiline. The entire circle is wet, a little muddy in some areas, but it would be almost dangerous to try to descend Hiline. Bikes I encountered were friendly and either had bells or called out around turns to warn hikers. I got a late start in the day (about noon), so parking took an extra minute or two. However, with going counterclockwise, and being on the eastern side in the afternoon, I got amazing silhouette pictures with Courthouse Butte. The majority of the trail I would list as moderate, but Hiline is not small kid/small dog friendly, and you should be prepared to carry them if you insist on going this way with them. Dogs in good shape should be off leash for safety reasons, so only bring your dog if they're physically fit AND WELL TRAINED. I was fine doing the whole trail with a small daypack with a Powerade, 1.5L hydropack of water, and snacks. I stopped at Oak Creek to relax for a couple minutes on a really cool tree. Trekker poles would be beneficial. I didn't see many people, except at the trail head and where the trail meets up with Cathedral Rock trail. Otherwise, a very relaxing and beautiful hike!
