Weird Day Trips
Cathedral Gorge and Pioche
Cathedral Gorge and Pioche are about 3 hours up US-93, paved. That is a planning number for a dry day, not live traffic. What you actually see is short walks in the slots and a half-empty mining town.
Cathedral Gorge and Pioche are about 3 hours up US-93 from central Las Vegas. The road is paved. Cathedral Gorge is a state park with short walks in the slots. Pioche is a half-empty mining town on the same drive. The pair is also on the way toward Ely, and it can stand as a long day by itself.
- From Las Vegas
- About 3 hours
- Distance
- Up US-93
- Road
- Paved US-93
- Time to allow
- Full day
Short history
The gorge is the walk. Pioche is the town you pass through if you want more than the slots. This page does not list park hours or fees.
Visit
Worth a look if you want a paved oddity, the gorge walk, and a loop through Pioche, and you are fine with a long day.
Camp
Camping is possible if the Cathedral Gorge campground has space. Check the park before counting on a site. Pioche is a town, not the camp.
Skip
You might leave it off if the round trip is a lot of driving for a short walk, or if the day is already Ely.
The call is yours.
Practical visitor info
Hours and fees change. Check the site, the park, or the business before you go. This page does not quote a current price or a current opening time.
The numbers match the drive times and distances page. Read desert day-trip tips before a hot day, and see sample itineraries if you want to combine stops. The town list is Ghost Towns Near Las Vegas. Tonopah and the Extraterrestrial Highway are indexed under Weird Day Trips.
How long is the drive to Cathedral Gorge?
Plan on about 3 hours from central Las Vegas, up US-93. That is a rounded planning number for a dry day, not live traffic.
Is the drive to Cathedral Gorge paved?
US-93 is paved, and a normal rental car is the usual vehicle for the park and the town.
What you can see
Short walks in the slots, then a loop through Pioche if the town is part of the day.
Heat and safety
Summer afternoons commonly sit above 100°F (38°C). The walks are short, and the round trip is long. Read the desert tips before a hot day.
On the ground
What you can see
You can walk the short slots and loop through Pioche.
Private or off limits
The campground is at the gorge. Pioche is a town, not the camp. Check the park before counting on a site.
Summer and the season
The walks are short and the drive is about 3 hours each way. Summer afternoons are hot.
The slots, and Pioche as a town where people still live.
Get directions
Get directions from Las Vegas. The link opens a map. It is not a live traffic report.
Combine this
Times below are planning figures. Conditions change. A north stop and a south stop do not belong in the same day. The return drive eats it.
A long day up US-93, about 3 hours. It is also on the way toward Ely. You might leave the gorge off if the day is already Ely. It is not the Laughlin road and not Chloride.