Cathedral Rock is a sandstone butte near Sedona, Arizona, in Coconino National Forest and one of the state’s most photographed landmarks. Rising 4,967 feet, it was formed from Permian red sandstone deposited as coastal dunes along the ancient Pedregosa Sea, with ripple marks still visible along the lower trail and a black basalt dike near the first saddle. Its steep but short U.S. Forest Service Trail No. 170 climbs from Back O’ Beyond to gaps in the rock. The butte’s dramatic form has long drawn attention, and early mapmakers sometimes confused its name with nearby Courthouse Butte.