Cathedral Gorge State Park
| Cathedral Gorge State Park | |
| Nevada State Park | |
.jpg) Columns and spires eroded into a bentonite formation
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Nevada |
| County | Lincoln |
| Town | Panaca |
| Elevation | 4,819 ft (1,469 m) |
| Coordinates | 37°49′10″N 114°24′50″W / 37.81944°N 114.41389°WCoordinates: 37°49′10″N 114°24′50″W / 37.81944°N 114.41389°W |
| Area | 1,631.96 acres (660 ha) |
| Established | 1935 |
| Management | Nevada Division of State Parks |
  Location in Nevada
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| Website: Cathedral Gorge State Park | |
Cathedral Gorge State Park is a public recreation and nature preserve area featuring a gorge eroded through soft bentonite clay near Panaca, Nevada. The state park covers more than 1,600 acres (650 ha) along U.S. Route 93, 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the west end of State Route 319.
Cathedral Gorge, once known as Cathedral Gulch, has been a popular spot for local visitors since the nineteenth century. In the 1920s, its scenery provided a background for pageants and Shakespearean performers. The various naturally formed crevices were used as dressing rooms and as a backstage where actors and actresses would prepare. Governor James Scrugham began acquiring and setting aside the area for preservation in 1924, and in 1935, it was established as one of the four original Nevada state parks. Its early construction was undertaken by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Their work can be seen in the picnicking facilities that are still used and the stone water tower which is no longer in operation.
The park sits at an elevation of 4,800 feet (1,500 m) above sea level, and is typically arid with semi-hot summers, and very cold winters. In the summer, temperatures range roughly from 95 °F (35 °C) in midday to 55 °F (13 °C) at night. Rainfall is variable and thunderstorms prevalent.
A majority of Meadow Valley (which lies along U.S. Route 93 from the towns of Caliente to Panaca) was covered by a freshwater lake nearly 1 million years ago during the Pliocene Era. The richly colored canyons of Cathedral Gorge (called the Panaca Formation) are remnants of this ancient lakebed. Over centuries, the lake began to gradually drain. Erosion began working away at the exposed portions of sediment and gravel that once composed the lake bottom. Rainwater and melting snow carved rivulets in the soft siltstone and clay shale, splitting tiny cracks and fissures into larger and larger gullies and canyons.
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Wikipedia