Trail Overview

This is a quick way to get from the Hartnett Road to the southern section of the Cathedral Valley Road. There are a few small rock ledges to cross, and one wash crossing that had a few inches of water. Most vehicles with decent clearance should have little difficulty on this route. There are several times that you pass a dry wash that can have very deep sand/gravel. There is one section where you drive through the wash. About halfway through, there are steep climbs, and you will need high clearance and possibly 4x4. Not advisable to go when it has just rained.

Photos of Hartnett/Cathedral Connector

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Difficulty

This route is mostly one vehicle wide, and many areas will be difficult to pass in.

Technical Rating

Q White

Jun 28, 2026

Open

Dusty

Fun trail! Just technical enough and a couple of spots to be fun.

Lamont JR

Apr 30, 2026

2022 Ford Bronco

Open

NormalDusty

Easy scenic route, some hills and descents to navigate. Never needed 4wd and most stock SUVs can make this route.

Trevor Augustus

Mar 19, 2026

2015 Toyota 4Runner

Open

Dusty

4X4 with decent clearance required. Any stock jeep,subaru, and 4runner would not have an issue. This cut through cannot be taken by those visiting Cathedral Valley with a cheap 2wd rental.

Odonata Overland

Feb 16, 2026

Open

NormalDustyWashboard

Really fun trail! First real test of pulling the Xpedition Voyager and it handled it like a champ! All washes were dry, but rain was forecast for that evening. Park Ranger warned to be on pavement before it came. She said 3” were predicted, so things could have change drastically with that much rain.

Mike Capps

Jan 18, 2026

2016 Subaru Crosstrek

Open

Normal

Super fun trail! A great connector between the South Cathedra Valley Rd and Hartnett Rd. A little rough and slow going, but not difficult. Beautiful views.

David Starr

Sep 28, 2025

Open

Normal

I agree that the ends of the road are easy. the middle of the road, for me, was quite technical. I found myself rock climbing up and down steep slops. This came as a surprise, because I wasn't expecting anything like this on a road rated as a 2 of 10.

Alex LaBarge

Sep 19, 2025

2018 Toyota Tacoma

Open

Normal

Ran most of the route in 2H, used 4H for a few steep rocky sections.

TS Y

Aug 23, 2025

Open

NormalDusty

Less travelled than the main loop, did it in our stock Ranger Raptor. No issues, trail is in good condition. *look for oncoming traffic (rare), passing in some sections could be a challenge.