Uploaded May 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Located just a few miles outside of Pahrump and about an hour from Las Vegas lies the ruins of what was once Cathedral Canyon, a once awe-inspiring site in the Nevada desert. What was once a dream inspired by a near-death experience however, now lies in ruins.
Cathedral Canyon was created by a man named Roland Wiley, who built the large religious monument on his Hidden Hills Ranch outside of Pahrump. Wiley had once been the District Attorney for Clark County, and even had unsuccessfully run for governor of Nevada. It was after being hospitalized with rabbit fever in the 1960s that he was inspired to build Cathedral Canyon, a cathedral in the desert. The cathedral walls were built by mother nature and the roof was the sky above.
Opening in 1972, at one point Cathedral Canyon had electric lights, plumbing, a sound system for music, and even a 30 foot waterfall. It also featured over a hundred different religious items, from neon painted Virgin Mary statues to quotes by Abraham Lincoln and Albert Einstein.
After Wiley died in 1994, unfortunately the canyon wasn't well looked after, and was repeatedly vandalized. Now some 30 years later, little is left of what was once said to bring in over 4,000 visitors a year.
Also located at Cathedral Canyon is the grave of Queho. An early 1900s outlaw that terrorized residents near the Colorado River.
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Located just a few miles outside of Pahrump and about an hour from Las Vegas lies the ruins of what was once Cathedral Canyon, a once awe-inspiring site in the Nevada desert. What was once a dream inspired by a near-death experience however, now lies in ruins.
Cathedral Canyon was created by a man named Roland Wiley, who built the large religious monument on his Hidden Hills Ranch outside of Pahrump. Wiley had once been the District Attorney for Clark County, and even had unsuccessfully run for governor of Nevada. It was after being hospitalized with rabbit fever in the 1960s that he was inspired to build Cathedral Canyon, a cathedral in the desert. The cathedral walls were built by mother nature and the roof was the sky above.
Opening in 1972, at one point Cathedral Canyon had electric lights, plumbing, a sound system for music, and even a 30 foot waterfall. It also featured over a hundred different religious items, from neon painted Virgin Mary statues to quotes by Abraham Lincoln and Albert Einstein.
After Wiley died in 1994, unfortunately the canyon wasn't well looked after, and was repeatedly vandalized. Now some 30 years later, little is left of what was once said to bring in over 4,000 visitors a year.
Also located at Cathedral Canyon is the grave of Queho. An early 1900s outlaw that terrorized residents near the Colorado River.
○ Gear we use: amazon.com/shop/sidetrackadventures
►Please subscribe for weekly updates showcasing some of our adventures: youtube.com/channel/UCdueDRFYPVgzPAAOM_bxVWA?sub_confirmation=1
►Also please follow Sidetrack Adventures on Instagram: instagram.com/sidetrackadventures
►Music in this video is from Epidemic Sounds; use our link for a free trial: share.epidemicsound.com/v927fj
