Luckily I missed the cactus and landed safely. The hike to Keyhole Cave begins at Sugarloaf Trailhead which is tucked back in a Sedona Neighborhood. Want to visit Soldier Pass Cave? Im sorry to hear you didnt make it to the cavebut I agree, the area is beautiful regardless. You will pass by Seven Sacred Pools and Devils Kitchen sinkhole on the way to Soldier Pass Cave, which makes the overall experience much more complete. 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. Fay Canyon Arch is southwest facing, which means it remains in total darkness if you arrive any time between sunrise and midday. However, sunrise and early morning is the best time to visit Hideout Cave when its larger east facing window allows the most light in. If you want to find one of the stunning cave views in Sedona then you must hike the Keyhole Cave in Sedona. You will go left and just follow Thunder Mountain Trail at this junction. Hideout Cave, also known as Shamans Cave, is by far the quietest and most secluded cave in Sedona. Keyhole Cave is located in the rocky ridge running from Coffee Pot Rock toward Thunder. Soldier Pass Cave is a uniquely shaped cave in Sedona. Do not graffiti or move the rocks around and respect the land. Cathedral Rock Sedona is filled with amazing hikes but Cathedral Rock Trail is one of the most iconic. How to get around Sedona is small but youll need a car to access the best hikes to the north and south of town. Decide which way to go down and take care with your footing when youre ready to leave Keyhole Cave. Soldier Pass Cave Soldier Pass Trailhead parking has 14 spaces which are snapped up instantly. You will make it without issue as long as you keep heading north and keep your eyes peeled for glimpses of the cave opening. There are very few other top attractions nearby, which helps keep these two trails quiet. It is best to avoid hiking during or after flash floods season. Lets take a look at some of the most asked questions about hiking to Keyhole Cave in Sedona, Arizona. The majority of it comes at the end when you hike up from the wash up the hill to the face of the cave. The map above shows exactly what you can expect when hiking to Keyhole Cave in Sedona. 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. Spring and Fall represent the two best seasons for visiting Sedona in general when hiking conditions are most comfortable. Dont try to cross this ledge in icy or overly wet conditions. Some visitors graffitied the cave walls- please do not draw or carve into the walls and leave them as is! Or you can buy one at a ticket machine when you arrive in person at either parking lot listed further in this guide. 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. However, we would highly recommend against taking your dog on this trail due to rough desert vegetation throughout and the challenging climb into Keyhole Cave. Once inside you can feel a breeze and the cooler temperatures, a wonderful break from the desert sun. A short but steep elevation gain will carry you up a bank and into Birthing Cave. 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. It is best to get down on the right side, the same way you went up. You will begin the hike at Teacup Trail at the right, another name for Sugarloaf. 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. 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. The hike itself is moderate but getting into the cave itself definitely takes it to difficult+. You can either climb directly up a rock face but we recommend going left up the steep bank. Keyhole Cave is in Sedona Arizona, specifically 1.1 miles north from Sugar Loaf trailhead. Keyhole Cave Access: Sugarloaf One of the largest alcoves in the area, Keyhole Cave can actually be seen from many places in West Sedona. We used the buddy system and went one after another, lending a hand and passing the pack up and down. Keyhole Cave is a southwest facing cave located in Coconino National Forest to the north of downtown Sedona. The lightly beaten paths can be hard to follow and often run out or are blocked by thick vegetation. Keep following the curving dry river bed for about 0.75 miles as it snakes north toward Keyhole Cave. Want to visit Birthing Cave? If you have 2WD, you must walk up the 4WD road to begin. Disclosure | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use, Copyright 2023 | Where Are Those Morgans. February 15, 2019. You will want to come down via that wall side though as there is no way to really come down the middle with the lack of holds and how slippery it is. This trail is very exposed and the climb up to it gets steep- I would not want to do this one in the summer! This leads to a short climb up rocks and a left turn will bring you around the north side of Hideout Cave. A short climb with a ledge walk to access the cave is moderately difficult but comparatively straight forward. Hiking Soldier Pass Trail To Soldier Pass Cave In Sedona, Hiking Robbers Roost Trail To Hideout Cave In Sedona. It is the biggest cave featuring a huge chamber and enormous opening which frames the Sedona landscape outside. 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. 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. You will be off trail and will often see and stumble onto places that zigzag which look like trails and you need to be very careful and not wander off while navigating in the necessary direction to reach the cave (heading north basically from the parking lot). We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Do You Need A Parking Pass To Hike Keyhole Cave? Are you planning to hike more trails in the area? Follow the obvious path leading to a short downhill climb. We hiked to Hideout Cave and arrived inside by 11.30am. As always, please be considerate of the environment so we can keep enjoying it and rememberto leave no trace. Get inspiration for travel, recipes & to follow your dreams. At the bottom turn right and you will find the first cave. Las Vegas Heading to Vegas on your Southwest adventure? We personally located and explored all but one of the 7 caves in Sedona during our first visit to the awesome adventure town in Arizona, and we have to say exploring caves is definitely among the best things to do in Sedona. It is important to know the Sedona trails you are hiking so you can safely navigate to caves. But please be warned, the climb into Keyhole is not easy. Please do not park in or near driveways of local residents. Alternatively, try parking at around 2pm so you miss the busiest period. Sugarloaf Mountain looms tall to your right side as you walk through desert vegetation and junipers. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Hi! The hike itself is easy to moderate but getting up into the cave can be quite sketchy. Long Canyon has no facilities. 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. I had to help three people who were shaking and stuck or could not get down. Try Andante Trailhead parking if you cant get parked at Sugar Loaf and it looks like you wont be able to any time soon. The climb into Soldier Pass Cave isnt too difficult and the other trail landmarks make this one of the most popular cave trails for families visiting Sedona. The elevation gain of the Sedona Keyhole Cave is 520 feet. Required fields are marked *. The Sedona Keyhole Cave hike is 2.5 miles round-trip, out and back with getting into the cave being the most challenging and dangerous part of all. 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. Sedonas red rock scenery becomes more and more impressive with every step. You could even use our images during your hike to keep track of where you are along the adventure to Keyhole Cave. Arrive early to the lot in peak season for the best chance of snagging a coveted parking spot at Sugar Loaf Trailhead. Want to visit Subway Cave? 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. It is definitely worth visiting Keyhole Cave, the biggest cave you can hike to in Sedona on your itinerary. Teacup leads to Sugar Loaf Loop but it also continues on as far as Soldier Pass Trail 1.5 miles over to the east. This is the easiest cant miss way to go. This is one of the 4 main Sedona vortex sites. Thank you for supporting the free content we provide! Followed the wash 90% of the way up and it made for a really interesting hike. Hike 0.6 miles on Long Canyon and look out for a wooden fence crossing the main path. 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. Improve this listing Tours & experiences Explore different ways to experience this place. Late afternoon sunlight would illuminate the arch and entire rock face in which it is located on the Fay Canyon Trail. This is a fun outing to scramble up above the cave and drop down the drainage that created the cave. Hiking Robbers Roost Trail To Hideout Cave In Sedona, Travertine Hot Springs: Directions, Tips & Pools. Please let us know if you have any questions about hiking Keyhole Cave or your visit to Sedona in the comments below. As while tricky at least there are significantly better foot and hand holds to use. Ropes can come in handy at this point, especially if you are in groups to help one another move around. West Fork Trail has its own dedicated parking lot around 10 miles north of Sedona on AZ-89A. Once up, turn right and walk along a curving sandstone ledge which leads to Subway Cave. Yes! Birthing Cave is east facing which means it is best visited between midday and late afternoon. 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. But if you are a seasoned hiker looking for an adventure, you will be rewarded with fascinating views from the Keyhole Cave in Sedona. From there you will walk through a wash and climb a steep unmarked bank trail to reach the cave area. If full, park at Andante Trailhead and walk Andante Trail to Thunder Mountain Trail and the joining point with Teacup. You will find Subway Cave to be among the busiest on this list of best caves in Sedona but the natural beauty of this formation is well worth dealing with the crowds. Try this 2.7-mile loop trail near Sedona, Arizona. The good news is that you can actually see the Keyhole Cave from the parking lot and that can actually be used as a visual aid as you hike to it later (although sometimes its hard to see it, ironically as you get closer to it). However, to be honest you should be fine with this particular hike. Instead of one single cave opening, Soldier Pass Cave has 3 small but completely separate light sources. Be advised, if not using the authors GPX files, the final leg may not be very clear. If you click on one, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Mark had to stop at one point to remove around 30-40 razor thin prickles that had penetrated a through pants and a hiking boot. 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