We are kicking things off with the popular instagrammers favorite Sedona Subway Cave! The path of following along the wash is straightforward one without any confusion, and we recommend that. You just never know when youll lose your footing on these desert rocks. There are a few different ways to get here. You will need either a Red Rock Pass (or America the Beautiful Pass) to access this list of places in Sedona. You'll probably see a good amount of hikers here as there are a lot of popular routes in the area. Hike through the red rocks to explore some of Sedona's more spiritual side. Hiking Sugarloaf Mountain via Teacup Trail. Buy an annual pass if you intend to revisit Sedona in the next year. Inside the cave (maybe its a vortex or magnetic issue), but my GPS started scrambling and adding about another 6 miles to my hike incorrectly. I had a few close calls climbing up inside the cave area and climbing down was even harder because I couldnt see where my feet were going. Im sorry to hear you didnt make it to the cavebut I agree, the area is beautiful regardless. A 2WD trailhead can be accessed via AZ-89A, Forest Road 525 for 3 miles and Forest Road 525C for 10 miles. America the Beautiful national parks pass, best things to do on and off the Las Vegas strip, best things to do in Valley of Fire State Park. The hike to Kachina Cave is not recommended after rain or during snow and ice conditions in Winter. During the busiest periods in Sedona from Spring through Fall you need to be at parking lots by first light to give yourself a chance at getting a space. Rome2rio makes travelling from Brea to Sedona easy. The short and easy hike leading to Raven Caves takes no longer than 10 minutes each way so this area can be explored at any time of day as an addition to other nearby activities. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Love the specifics of how to get here, thank you! Hideout Cave has both east and south facing windows allowing light to illuminate the its cavernous chamber. Keyhole Cave Access: Sugarloaf One of the largest alcoves in the area, Keyhole Cave can actually be seen from many places in West Sedona. Print/PDF map. Keep following the curving dry river bed for about 0.75 miles as it snakes north toward Keyhole Cave. The climb up is very steep and slippery. Also, be on the lookout for rattlesnakes! kate410. Parking: Parking is limited. Keyhole Cave is stunning, but its one of many others which I will one day do a post on, but in the meantime, heres a few other hikes, including cave hikes you can try: I have more posts on Sedona which you can find by simply using the search on my site, but just know that if youre not feeling the hike to Keyhole Cave after what you saw here, dont do it as there are so many other cool and safer hikes to try out in Sedona. We visited Sedona in December and it was surprisingly busy in town. You can click or touch the map to activate, then move around the map to locate each cave. Please let us know if you have any questions about hiking Keyhole Cave or your visit to Sedona in the comments below. You can actually see Keyhole Cave as a tiny rounded hole carved into a distant red rock mountain from the parking lot and Teacup Trail sign marker (pictured above). 5 of the best Sedona Caves and how to find them, Hiking for Beginners 101- The Best Guide for New Hikers, Visit these 4 Sedona Wineries all in one day, Keyhole Cave in Sedona and EXACTLY how to get there. Youll have to duck to move around the cave network but you can shoot some interesting photos here. You may need to be extra cautious and plan things for this adventurous hike, but the challenge makes it more appealing adding it to the list of the best Sedona hikes. Arriving early to trailheads is essential for the best chance of getting parked. You are going to hike directly straight ahead beyond the wooden sign heading for the red rock formation on the horizon. Sedona is one of the best places to visit in the US and finding caves is among the most exciting things to do for first time visitors to the area. Raven Caves is a very easily accessed series of maze-like caves on the south side of Sedona. Keyhole Cave - Parking at Sugar Loaf / Teacup trailhead requires a pass Red Rock Pass You can buy a Red Rock Pass at this specific recreation.gov site in advance, or you can buy one from a ticket machine in select parking lots. It can get a little confusing but if you have a map you can see the trail intersection on it which makes it much easier. Read more in our disclosure policy.*. Lets find out all about hiking the Keyhole Cave right away. You can either climb the left side or right side to access the upper chamber of Keyhole Cave. There is a wash you can follow for most of the hike but it twists and turns which adds on distance and time. Pin It For Your Hike! I personally loved this hike, but its not for everyone and I hope these instructions (and warnings) are helpful to you! Generally considered a challenging route. Robbers Roost Trail is located 21 miles northwest of downtown Sedona on Forest Road 525C. Keyhole Cave was one of our favorite caves in Sedona. Right at the very back of Birthing Cave is a sphere shaped like half a tennis ball which has eroded out of a smooth curving surface. This will definitely help you know you are going the right way especially if you get off track. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. There is a shuttle now to Soldiers pass and we cant drive. Very few know about Keyhole Cave and even fewer take it on once they hear about the unmarked trail and climb. I tried following these trails last year during my first attempt to find Keyhole Cave and was unsuccessful. All of which take a drastic upturn in difficulty from an otherwise straightforward hike. Most visitors are hiking on the more popular trails to the north and southeast of town. Park at Boynton Canyon Trailhead and walk for around 1.3 miles until you reach a left turn onto a spur trail. The good news is you will only be on Teacup Trail for 0.4 miles until you reach a trail crossroads with Thunder Mountain Trail. Later in the day the cave will be in deep and dark shadows. After the climb, you will land on a ledge, from where you will be in the cave. If you're going on a road trip from Los Angeles to Sedona, we did the research for you and compiled some great stops along the way with Anaheim, Phoenix, Greater Palm Springs, Palm Springs, Scottsdale, Temecula, Laguna Beach, Prescott, Joshua Tree National Park, and Cottonwood and top places to visit like Wilson Creek Winery and Big Bear . 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. But back to finding the keyhole cave! Once youre done exploring this area, its just a matter of heading back down south to reach the parking lot to complete this hike. Due to the more complex network like structure of these caves, you can easily manipulate light to create unique images. So we would recommend choosing the caves you most want to visit, consider the best lighting in the cave but also how you will get parked for the hike. Both hikes connect and you can see all info on that in this article here. Bus Tours. West Fork Trail has its own dedicated parking lot around 10 miles north of Sedona on AZ-89A. If you're planning to hike the Devil's Bridge Trail, book a room at Sedona Rouge Hotel and Spa, just outside downtown . The majority of it comes at the end when you hike up from the wash up the hill to the face of the cave. Fay Canyon Arch is southwest facing, which means it remains in total darkness if you arrive any time between sunrise and midday. @Mark and Kristen Morgan, You need to stick along the larger wash. If full, park at Andante Trailhead and walk Andante Trail to Thunder Mountain Trail and the joining point with Teacup. Thank you for supporting the free content we provide! Is there service? It has just 7 parking spaces but you can use it to access Andante Trail, which leads to Thunder Mountain Trail and eventually to Teacup Trail at the exact point you will go off-trail for Keyhole Cave. Hideout Cave Hike Robbers Roost Trail to Hideout Cave in the far northwest of Sedona for the quietest and most secluded cave in town. There are no places you can park on the residential streets nearby. Hiking Robbers Roost Trail To Hideout Cave In Sedona, Travertine Hot Springs: Directions, Tips & Pools. Sugarloaf Trailhead: 34.8775908,-111.7969803. Getting to this Sedona cave isnt for beginner hikers or those afraid of the challenge to climb 10+ feet of slick rock. When researching which caves to explore in Sedona, we never saw any mention of Kachina Cave. I needed to help 3/5 people get up and down who had gone into the cave. If you enter it into Google Maps it will take you right to it. Birthing Cave is east facing which means it is best visited between midday and late afternoon. Certain trailheads and parking lots in Sedona require you to display either a Red Rock Pass or America the Beautiful Interagency Pass on your vehicle dashboard. Along the way you can even see the gaping window in the distance as you head towards it. Hideout Cave has a striking view over desert vegetation and red rocks, plus is it so far out of the typical touristy area of Sedona that you are almost guaranteed to have this cave to yourself. The climb up is very steep and slippery. Heres the left approach into Keyhole Cave: The bottom section is almost vertical and its smooth which makes it hard to climb. Keyhole Cave is southwest facing which means it will fill with light between mid to late afternoon. Thanks for reading, Michael! 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. Set your Google Maps or Apple Maps to "West Fork Oak Creek Trailhead" or "Call of the Canyon Picnic Site". Looking for hiking inspiration? Sedona has a total of 7 caves. The views from inside the Keyhole Cave Sedona are spectacular, and rewarding after the climb. In Sedona, there are at least 7 caves you can hike to and explore. Top ways to experience Teacup Trail and nearby attractions. The hike up Teacup is flat and easy. Try to go earlier in the day or later in the afternoon. Note that Ravens Caves is the only cave to the south of Sedona and Hideout Cave is a long way out to the northwest of Sedona. Winter and Summer are comparatively quieter periods in Sedona but they are still overcrowded. If you click on one, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. A great recommendation is the bring a good rope to help everyone up and especially down. Sedona swimming holes are some of the best places to cool off in the city when the temperatures soar. Thanks Great Directions. Thank you for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts. Which cave or caves should you visit if you only have a one day Sedona itinerary? All other caves are located in the most popular hiking areas of Sedona and remain busy year round. Are you a regular visitor to US National Parks and Monuments? Required fields are marked *. So watch your footing and for cacti along the narrow trail. Birthing Cave The easiest cave to reach in Sedona is Birthing Cave on Long Canyon Trail, ending with amazing views and a crowd free climax. This is perfect for getting an early start, hiking to Subway Cave first and then taking the spur to Kachina Cave on the way back timing it perfectly for both caves at best light conditions. Lets take a quick look at a general packing list for exploring Sedona caves: Here are our top 5 tips for hiking to the Sedona caves: How to get around Sedona is small but youll need a car to access the best hikes to the north and south of town. If you do try to do Keyhole Cave around sunset, dont leave it too late because you need to get back to the parking area before darkness. Now I have to make the following very clear once again: You will be off trail when you do this hike. Once you are at the entrance, you can see how gigantic Keyhole Cave is and mystic. Back to the easy to find wash route, as you follow the wash there are some smaller washes that break off from the main wash but just stick to the larger wash along the way. The sun had already moved so far round to the south that the cave was in dark and deep shadow. We found the right side of the cave was easier to climb for it had foot holds and plenty of jagged rocks to hold on to. Accessing the cave does not require any climbing or use of hands, but there is a steep bank to climb on the final approach. Sedona's Keyhole Cave is located right in the heart of Sedona. A ledge crossing is required with a fair drop to one side which could be dangerous in rain or icy conditions. Without a rope, do not try to come down the middle part of that Right side you came up as it is so slippery and there arent any solid holds. Your hike will start nice and easy and flat. Some of the caves are better with sunlight inside and others with no sunlight inside. Ironically, Subway Cave looks the most like a keyhole shape, but there is another cave in Sedona called Keyhole Cave which doesnt look much like a keyhole! Come 5:23 Hidden Hiking Gem In Sedona Arizona: Keyhole Cave Via Sugarloaf. Given. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "adfe3c6c02b8a23ef7f876e875c76545" );document.getElementById("de46ec5a9a").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); I am Kara and I travel and adventure with my GSD, Monty. The tunnel shape has a 5 ft gap running exactly vertical from top to bottom as though it has been sliced in half by a wide knife blade. Where Are Those Morgans LLC is a participant in the Amazon services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Want to visit Keyhole Cave? Late afternoon sunlight would illuminate the arch and entire rock face in which it is located on the Fay Canyon Trail. I will check it out. Subway Cave is arguably the most famous and sought after cave to visit in Sedona. That is exactly what happened to us during our visit to Sedona. It is straight back and looks like a giant gaping hole in the mountainside. It is the biggest cave featuring a huge chamber and enormous opening which frames the Sedona landscape outside. Ideally come down on your butt and use all of the foot and hand holds at a nice slow pace. 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. Head over to our Arizona travel guides to explore the best of Grand Canyon, Sedona and beyond. 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