In Sedona, we used Gaia to find all of the hidden caves and didnt lose any time trying to figure out if we were on the right path. Please let us know if you have any questions about hiking to any of the caves or your visit to Sedona in the comments below. Keep following the curving dry river bed for about 0.75 miles as it snakes north toward Keyhole Cave. We used the buddy system and went one after another, lending a hand and passing the pack up and down. I found people dont stay here for very long since the trails are short so it is a fast turnaround! Instead, go direct and keep following lightly beaten paths where possible. You can get amazing photos from the bottom of the cave too. It is best not to go all the way into the cave if you have a fear of heights. Devil's Bridge Trail Stats. Keyhole Cave is a southwest facing cave located in Coconino National Forest to the north of downtown Sedona. Each cave can be accessed by visitors to Sedona via hiking trails varying in length between 0.5 5 miles roundtrip. For those who have appreciated Munds Wagon Trail and Cow Pies, this trail takes it to the next level. Take rope if one person in your group is a stronger hiker and have them help the others with rope support. Note: My directions in this post may not be the best way to reach the Keyhole Cave, but are the way I found it which seems to be the most direct and less confusing. Grand Canyon Just 2 hours from Sedona is the incredible Grand Canyon South Rim, create your wishlist from the best hikes at Grand Canyon South Rim. We went down the same way we went up, which is right as you approach the cave, but left if you are inside the cave looking out. 2-star hotels from $105, 3 stars from $170 and 4 stars+ from $237. This trail is very exposed and the climb up to it gets steep- I would not want to do this one in the summer! No matter which you choose, one way to ensure you have not wandered off is to make sure you see the cave in the distance in front of you. However, to avoid needing to double-back or going the wrong way for a little just follow the wash the entire way to the base of the cave. The views from the grand entrance of the caves are surreal and much better than the pictures you see. Boynton Canyon Exactly how to find the famous Subway Cave on Boynton Canyon Trail, the most photographed cave in Sedona. The huge cave opening provides striking views over northern Sedona and the trail is very quiet in comparison to other trails in town. But with just one day in Sedona, we would suggest doing Subway Cave, Kachina Cave and Birthing Cave as a 3 cave hiking tour in that exact order. A short but steep elevation gain will carry you up a bank and into Birthing Cave. Move around Keyhole Cave to the far right side. Followed the wash 90% of the way up and it made for a really interesting hike. It is located along the popular Boynton Canyon Trail but 99% of hikers on this path are headed to Subway Cave and probably dont even know Kachina Cave exists. Most moderately experienced hikers should be fine, but we would not recommend beginner hikers attempt the hike to Subway Cave. There is a very small parking lot and you are not able to park on the neighborhood streets so it is best to arrive early. You'll start at Sugar Loaf trailhead and see the Keyhole Cave from there, then navigate to it by first going on the Teacup trail, then going off trail to reach it. The above Summit is also worth a visit if you have extra time. Im not going to lie, I fell back on my butt on the way down this trail! The hike to Keyhole Cave begins at Sugarloaf Trailhead which is tucked back in a Sedona Neighborhood. It is the biggest cave featuring a huge chamber and enormous opening which frames the Sedona landscape outside. I always recommend tracking yourself or following an already made track so you can check in and be sure youre on the right path. Keyhole Cave is the most adventurous, Birthing Cave is the quietest and Soldier Pass Cave has a more exciting trail with other landmarks to enjoy. It is pretty easy to get off trail so we recommend using AllTrails. We took the right approach both on the way up and down. An obvious trail leads to the right, but you want to split left here and take the spur trail for 0.3 miles leading to Birthing Cave. The hike to Keyhole Cave is moderately difficult mostly become of the scramble and climb required to get into the cave. The cave is accessed via significant off-trail hiking, which means forging a path through rugged desert wilderness. Hola! Instead of buying a Red Rock Pass you can simply display your America the Beautiful Pass at all trailheads when hiking to Sedona caves. You will begin the hike at Teacup Trail at the right, another name for Sugarloaf. Getting down is harder than getting up and is a little unnerving even for the best of us. That trailhead is a popular destination and has a fairly small parking lot where maybe 10-15 cars can fit. Hideout Cave has both east and south facing windows allowing light to illuminate the its cavernous chamber. The trail was hard to follow, we didnt know exactly where it started or ended, and we ended up bushwhacking and being way off of where we needed to be. per adult (price varies by group size) Sedona Outback Trail Jeep Adventure. Although you can take your dog on the hike while keeping it on a leash at all times, it is best not to hike with your pets due to the difficulty in accessing the cave, including the steep climbing and slippery floors, along with the rough vegetation on the forest floor. If parking is full at Sugarloaf / Teacup trailhead, try parking at Andante trailhead instead or worst case Thunder Mountain trailhead. During these times getting parked at trailheads can be a real challenge. Suggest edits to improve what we show. This popular hiking trail heads about three miles into a deep box canyon and includes ancient Sinaguan Indian ruins along the way. Hiking to it is tough (its easy to get lost or stumble into thorns and cactuss which is what happened to me). Accessing Hideout Cave means driving 50 minutes from Sedona, mostly on gravel roads and then hiking a short trail to reach the cave entrance. Recently, the Sedona Westerners' Rustlers hiking group on . Use Jim Thompson and hike Cibola Trail or park at Posse Grounds Park & Ride for the Sedona shuttle. But they come with a higher price tag and more crowds. If you enter it into Google Maps it will take you right to it. A great recommendation is the bring a good rope to help everyone up and especially down. It is less about temperatures and busy trails, more about finding free parking spots. You can download my Keyhole Cave trackand gain access to my library of all tracked hikes. Hi Samantha, glad to hear you're heading to Sedona! Or you can buy one at a ticket machine when you arrive in person at either parking lot listed further in this guide. Keyhole Cave is in Sedona Arizona, specifically 1.1 miles north from Sugar Loaf trailhead. When researching which caves to explore in Sedona, we never saw any mention of Kachina Cave. Late afternoon sunlight would illuminate the arch and entire rock face in which it is located on the Fay Canyon Trail. There is a very small parking lot and you are not able to park on the neighborhood streets so it is best to arrive early. There is a way to climb out of the upper back cave portion to stand on top of the red rock formation containing the cave. I will check it out. We hiked part of the route inside the wash but most of it by going more direct to save time. Andante Trailhead is your best backup option. , Hi Mara! Walk 0.2 miles to Devils Kitchen sinkhole, followed by a further 1 mile hike to reach Seven Sacred Pools. Other Nearby Trails in . Read our guide on why America the Beautiful national parks pass is one of the best things you can buy if you plan to visit multiple parks in the next year. Do you use any of the best hiking apps on the market for navigation on new or unmarked trails? If you have an America the Beautiful Pass, you can use this as well. Keyhole Cave is accessed via Teacup Trail to begin but you will spend three quarters of this hike on unmaintained land with rough vegetation and no clear path. Now I have to make the following very clear once again: You will be off trail when you do this hike. Lets find out all about hiking the Keyhole Cave right away. And on the pros and cons end of this hike: The first thing you need to do is find an official trailhead parking area but the thing I learned about this hike is that if you use Google maps to reach it (there is an official Keyhole Cave location), itll take you to the wrong location. Parking at popular hiking trailheads in Sedona is a real challenge. From the 2WD parking area you have a 3 mile roundtrip hike with 450 ft elevation gain, but from the 4WD parking area the hike is just 1 mile round trip with 200 ft elevation. After you get on the Thunder Mountain Trail, you have two ways to reach the base of the Keyhole Cave in Sedona. Im sorry to hear you didnt make it to the cavebut I agree, the area is beautiful regardless. The best time of day to hike Keyhole Cave is mid afternoon. Early morning and early evening the sun will be too far to either side of the cave entrance and it will mostly be in deep dark shadows. You will need either a Red Rock Pass (or America the Beautiful Pass) to access this list of places in Sedona. Personally we went for the right side both up and down, but we know others have taken the left route instead. The hike is flat and easy until you reach an undefined turn onto a spur trail leading to Subway Cave. At just 2.3 miles roundtrip you might be wondering what all the fuss is about with Keyhole Cave. Heres the list of places around Sedona you will need to display either a Red Rock Pass or America the Beautiful Pass in order to hike. The hike to Keyhole Cave begins at Sugarloaf Trailhead which is tucked back in a Sedona Neighborhood. Red Rock Pass options include: 1 Day Red Rock Pass - $5 7 Day Red Rock Pass - $15 Red Rock Annual Pass - $20 Want to visit Subway Cave? Karabou Adventure + Travel is a participant of the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Thank you for your review, Jacob! Getting into the Sedona Keyhole cave is difficult. We're Mark and Kristen Morgan, former career scientists turned travel, hiking and photography experts after an 18 month honeymoon around the world forever changed our lives. Las Vegas Heading to Vegas on your Southwest adventure? You definitely dont need ropes to get into the cave, just some guts to climb up and down it! This is a fun outing to scramble up above the cave and drop down the drainage that created the cave. Are you planning to hike more trails in the area? You will have problems finding your way back in the dark. You will meander along the wash for three-quarters of a mile or so and you will know when to start going up to the cave as you will see it to your right when the time comes. Thank you for sharing it will come in handy when we hike this in 2 wks. From the 4WD parking area, a trail dips into a V shaped valley and comes up on the other side. Want to visit Birthing Cave? Now this is again where I have to warn you about the dangers: I do not recommend climbing in this part of the hike.