Not only will you have to forge your own path through wilderness, but you must also climb into Keyhole Cave using hands, feet and core strength. Heres a link to our interactive map featuring the locations of the 7 best caves and 1 bonus cave-like arch you can visit in Sedona, along with respective hiking trailheads. The Sedona Keyhole Cave hike is 2.5 miles round-trip, out and back. It is best to get down on the right side, the same way you went up. Chances are high you will have Kachina Cave to yourself and the tree makes for a stunning subject to photograph surrounded by quintessential orange and red sandstone rocks. The trailhead is in an old Sedona neighborhood, and the cave faces the town and Airport Mesa. WHAT IS THE ELEVATION GAIN OF THE KEYHOLE CAVE IN SEDONA? The Sedona Keyhole Cave hike is 2.5 miles round-trip, out and back. Want to visit Subway Cave? However, be aware Soldier Pass Trail is one of the most popular hikes in Sedona so it is always busy. Sedonas red rock scenery becomes more and more impressive with every step. Coming down you will want to go against that wall on the front of the entrance (down the Right side you came up). One of the most impressive caves in Sedona, Try parking at Andante if Sugar Loaf Trailhead parking is full, Go direct off-trail to save time vs the wash, Take rope if youre not confident of climbing into Keyhole Cave, Keyhole Cave has the best light between lunch and late afternoon. Your hike will start nice and easy and flat. If you have 2WD, you must walk up the 4WD road to begin. The lightly beaten paths can be hard to follow and often run out or are blocked by thick vegetation. The cave is accessed via significant off-trail hiking, which means forging a path through rugged desert wilderness. The arch is actually the most striking and impressive feature along this hiking trail. Hotels There are 5 popular areas to stay around Sedona, our collection of the best hotels in Sedona will help you find the perfect option based on location and budget. The hike to Keyhole Cave is moderately difficult mostly become of the scramble and climb required to get into the cave. Try to go earlier in the day or later in the afternoon. Hola! You just never know when youll lose your footing on these desert rocks. 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. If you click on one, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. You will have to climb some steep and slick walls. Lets take a quick look at your parking options for each of the Sedona cave trails: Subway and Kachina Caves Boynton Canyon Parking lot. You could even use our images during your hike to keep track of where you are along the adventure to Keyhole 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. Most people are parking at Sugar Loaf Teacup Trailhead to hike the Sugar Loaf Loop Trail and climb Sugarloaf Mountain. All the stops we make are close to the Interstate. This lone tree illuminates under sunlight around mid morning when the sun position is optimal for entering the narrow cave chamber. Winter and Summer are comparatively quieter periods in Sedona but they are still overcrowded. You must take the right turn at the split and climb a fairly steep gradient to gain access to Solider Pass Cave in Sedona. Hideout Cave has both east and south facing windows allowing light to illuminate the its cavernous chamber. You can find a small parking lot at the Sugarloaf trailhead located in a residential area on Buena Vista Drive, from where you begin your hike. Given. Getting into the Sedona Keyhole cave is difficult. Do not graffiti or move the rocks around and respect the land. Keyhole Cave is in Sedona Arizona, specifically 1.1 miles north from Sugar Loaf trailhead. I will reiterate do not try this unless you are athletic or a good hiker. Heres the Sugar Loaf Trailhead parking lot Google Maps location to use for beginning your hike to Keyhole Cave. Walk 0.2 miles to Devils Kitchen sinkhole, followed by a further 1 mile hike to reach Seven Sacred Pools. The hike to Kachina Cave is not recommended after rain or during snow and ice conditions in Winter. Make your way slowly navigating through the tree branches occupying many portions, which will need you to use your hands along with placing firm and steady walk on the ground. Look for tree branches on the ground. Renting a Jeep in Sedona offers a multitude of benefits and one of those is cutting the hike to Hideout Cave down from 3 miles to just 1 mile. The Rustlers hiking group of the Sedona Westerners is approaching the local phenomenon known as Keyhole Cave. Keyhole Cave: There is a 2.7-mile round trip hike that is pretty difficult to get to this Sedona cave. With that said, if there is rain or recent rain and you cant go up the wash then just follow the trails North directing at the cave and you will eventually run into it. This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. Your email address will not be published. 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. No matter which season you visit, try to avoid weekends, holidays and the 10am-1pm rush. Long Canyon has no facilities. You can of course split it up and take one of the many small trails back from the cave if you want more of an adventure and to not use the same wash trail you use to get there. You do not need a jeep to access any cave in Sedona. Im not going to lie, I fell back on my butt on the way down this trail! This will definitely help you know you are going the right way especially if you get off track. The hike itself is moderate but getting into the cave itself definitely takes it to difficult+. Entering Keyhole Cave isnt easy. Subway Cave is one of the most photogenic caves you can access in the Sedona area, which explains its popularity on social media and with photographers. Want to visit Keyhole Cave? You still need to be organized and plan effectively otherwise youll spend your days frustrated about not being able to park anywhere. Turn right onto a spur trail and follow it until you reach a steep bank. Park at Boynton Canyon Trailhead and walk 2 miles until you reach a big, burnt, black and gray tree trunk. *Please note this post may contain affiliate links. Instead of one single cave opening, Soldier Pass Cave has 3 small but completely separate light sources. 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. Coordinates: 34.88717 N, 111.79926 W. Dogs Allowed: Yes, but NOT dog-friendly. It is best to arrive early if you want to park here. Once you get up onto that lower ledge the hard part is over. Keyhole Cave Teacup Trail / Unmarked Trail, Hiking Apps You Can Use To Find Caves In Sedona, What To Pack For Hiking To Caves In Sedona. As while tricky at least there are significantly better foot and hand holds to use. The shuttle works particularly well for accessing Soldier Pass Cave which is renowned as one of the worst places to get parked in Sedona. Im sorry to hear you didnt make it to the cavebut I agree, the area is beautiful regardless. Keyhole Cave is a southwest facing cave located in Coconino National Forest to the north of downtown Sedona. Your email address will not be published. Did you know you can actually make it an all-time epic cave hike day by combining this with Soldiers Pass to see that stunning cave. The turnoff is about 2 miles into the trail. We are kicking things off with the popular instagrammers favorite Sedona Subway Cave! You will begin from the parking lot and start the hike at Teacup Trail. Preparation saves lives. Your email address will not be published. Read our complete guide to hiking Soldier Pass Trail into Soldier Pass Cave for in depth details and directions for how to access the cave. We used the buddy system and went one after another, lending a hand and passing the pack up and down. You can use Sugar Loaf Mountain as your landmark to aim for on the hike back. Sedona, AZ 86339 Open today: 6:00 AM - 11:00 PM Save Private 4-Hour Sedona Spectacular Journey and Vortex Tour 33 Book in advance from $288.88 per adult Check availability View full product details Z9866ZHnancyl Miami, Florida 85 28 Made it to The Subway Keyhole Secret Review of Boynton Canyon Trail Reviewed May 2, 2021 This is the major road in and out of Sedona from Flagstaff and Grand Canyon South Rim. Which cave or caves should you visit if you only have a one day Sedona itinerary? You definitely dont need ropes to get into the cave, just some guts to climb up and down it! R3 R4 Night R1 Below is a screenshot of my track from Keyhole Cave! 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. However, the wash is flatter, more consistent and you wont have to go back on yourself at any point. After going up each of these a decent way (and I was nearly bitten by a snake), we ended up turning back. In this post Ive included all the details and directions you need to know in order to successfully find Keyhole cave and have a safe adventure. Visit Sedona outside of peak season to give yourself higher odds of getting parked up any time of day. Jeep Trails Comprehensive guide to the 9 best Jeep trails in Sedona Arizona, including both popular and hidden gem off road routes. Zion National Park Zion is an adventure playground for adults, find the very best hikes in Zion and choose between 5 ways you can spend a one day in Zion itinerary. The map above shows exactly what you can expect when hiking to Keyhole Cave in Sedona. If you are looking for an easy hike, the Doe Mountain trail in Sedona is one of the best, If you are looking for the best Sedona Hot Springs, in this guide, we cover the best hot springs, The best breweries in Sedona should be on your itinerary whether you are a lover of beer or you, Enjoying the stunning Tucson sunset is the perfect way to end your day while exploring this beautiful city. You can see Sugar Loaf Mountain looking like a perfect green and brown cone shaped hill in the distance. From there is where it gets harder. Here are the 40 best things to do on and off the Las Vegas strip and the 15 best things to do in Valley of Fire State Park nearby. Be very careful and only more skilled hikers should try to get up into it. I hope this trail guide helps you find this enormous Sedona Cave. Spring and Fall represent the two best seasons for visiting Sedona in general when hiking conditions are most comfortable. Once youre parked at Sugar Loaf Trailhead, dont forget to display your America the Beautiful pass or Red Rock Pass. It looks quite far away but it wont take you long to get back. Along the way you can even see the gaping window in the distance as you head towards it. The elevation gain of the Sedona Keyhole Cave is 520 feet. We now help over 2 million people each year to travel, hike and photograph their bucket list destinations. 29. 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. Remember and follow the 7 principles of leave no trace when hiking to caves in Sedona: From our own experience in Sedona, we found people were not always disposing of waste correctly, but perhaps more surprisingly we noticed people were not planning ahead before hiking. 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. Experienced hikers and adventurers will be fine getting up. Ideally, it is best to sit down and use your hands to move slowly for better support, instead of being upright, which can also feel scary. Here are 4 photos showing the inside of Keyhole Cave as we walked around the cave from left to right looking out: If you climb up the right side you will summit the cave at the place where the most popular instagram photograph is taken. , which means forging a path through rugged desert wilderness and hidden gem off road routes Teacup! Use our images during your hike will start nice and easy and flat and only more skilled hikers try... Climb up and down it and the 10am-1pm rush sinkhole, followed by a further 1 mile to! Reach Seven Sacred Pools known as Keyhole Cave is 520 feet a good hiker and often run or. One single Cave opening, Soldier Pass trail is one of the Cave! Cave is a screenshot of my track from Keyhole Cave agree, the same way can! 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