It is best to avoid hiking during or after flash floods season. Required fields are marked *. You can either climb directly up a rock face but we recommend going left up the steep bank. Alternatively, if you hire a jeep or own a 4WD vehicle, you can get a permit to drive FR 9904 which leads to a parking area just 0.1 miles from the trail split leading to Soldier Pass Cave. Get inspiration for travel, recipes & to follow your dreams. There are only 4 parking spaces and it doesnt even look legit, but it is, and the caves are actually well worth visiting. 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. But back to finding the keyhole cave! 3 rappels to make it down ending in a epic one right over the Keyhole Cave. It was quiet, off the beaten path, harder to access and felt like more of an adventure. Read our complete guide to hiking Long Canyon Trail into Birthing Cave for in depth details and directions for how to access the cave. Park at the Fay Canyon Trailhead and follow the flat trail for 0.6 miles keeping your eyes on the rock formations to your right side. Each cave can be accessed by visitors to Sedona via hiking trails varying in length between 0.5 5 miles roundtrip. Remember, there is no trail to reach it, and what you will be doing is starting on an official trail on Sugarloaf Trailhead (called Teacup trail), but going off trail to reach the cave. Look for tree branches on the ground. That means the sun will be directly ahead and fills Birthing Cave with light until late morning. 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. You may have to sidestep or go back on yourself but that is fine, just find another path heading north. Yes, the cave hikes in Sedona are pet friendly but all dogs must be kept on a short leash at all times. There may be hikers already in the cave who have rope. We used the buddy system and went one after another, lending a hand and passing the pack up and down. kate410. Read our complete guide to hiking Robbers Roost Trail into Hideout Cave for in depth details and directions for how to access the cave. Set your Google Maps or Apple Maps to "West Fork Oak Creek Trailhead" or "Call of the Canyon Picnic Site". Keyhole Cave was one of our favorite caves in Sedona. Another 1 mile heading north will lead you into a wash and eventually to a very obvious fork split in the trail. Lets get stuck into the Keyhole Cave hiking walkthrough! KEY TAKEAWAY: Youll be traversing in a wash so be aware of the possibility of flash floods and rattlesnakes! to the left. Sedona swimming holes are some of the best places to cool off in the city when the temperatures soar. However, to be honest you should be fine with this particular 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. Want to visit Birthing Cave? A rope will help you come down safely. The cave is accessed via significant off-trail hiking, which means forging a path through rugged desert wilderness. 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. Now the real fun begins! Take this wash and follow that up to the right until reaching the base of the cave, and this part is easy, and you cannot get lost at all. Coming down you will want to go against that wall on the front of the entrance (down the Right side you came up). Heres why you should visit these Sedona caves with just one day: Got your days planned out? One of the most dynamic trails to be added to the Sedona Hiking Trail System in years. 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. Later in the day the cave will be in deep and dark shadows. Experienced hikers and adventurers will be fine getting up. At the fork there is a sign to follow Teacup Trail to the right and Thunder MTN Trail to the left. Park at Long Canyon Trailhead among the trees or on the roadside. The hike itself is moderate but getting into the cave itself definitely takes it to difficult+. Make sure the cave appears at a distance as this will help you know you are going the right way especially if you get off track. The majority of it comes at the end when you hike up from the wash up the hill to the face of the cave. 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. We visited Sedona in December and some of the caves were busy. Were not climbers and we dont have any experience with ropes but we made it up the right side easily enough. This will definitely help you know you are going the right way especially if you get off track. Why Hike To The Sedona Soldier Pass Cave? Unless you strike it lucky with timing of a drop off, you probably won't be able to take one. The elevation gain of the Sedona Keyhole Cave is 520 feet. Parking at popular hiking trailheads in Sedona is a real challenge. Rome2rio displays up to date schedules, route maps, journey times and estimated fares from . Lets find out all about hiking the Keyhole Cave right away. Photography Are you more interested in capturing stunning images? Also, be on the lookout for rattlesnakes! 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. Report inappropriate content. Yes Keyhole Cave is a dog friendly hike in Sedona. Your email address will not be published. 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. The elevation gain of the Sedona Keyhole Cave is 520 feet. Turn right onto a spur trail and follow it until you reach a steep bank. Winter and Summer are comparatively quieter periods in Sedona but they are still overcrowded. . Follow the trail without wandering off to the left or right until after hiking for about 0.5 miles, where you will come across a fork with signage indicating the Teacup Trail to the right and Thunder Mountain Trail. Have a great time! Thanks for sharing the map! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Hi! Unlike the other Sedona Caves which require a bit of hike into the forest depths before seeing the cave, you can spot the Keyhole Cave Sedona way off in the distance, a giant hole amidst the mountains, which is the mouth of the cave. 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, you should take rope along if you have any doubts about being able to pull yourself up a steep rock face using small foot placements. If youre interested in learning more about Gaia, you can sign up to Gaia GPS premium with Where Are Those Morgans exclusive 20% off link. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Love the specifics of how to get here, thank you! A 4WD trailhead is located an additional 1 mile up Forest Road 9530 which saves 2 miles of hiking total. After you get down, follow the same trail along the wash until you find the fork that will lead you to the parking lot. It is straight back and looks like a giant gaping hole in the mountainside. 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. Im so glad to hear you were able to make it to see the Keyhole cave! 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. Along the way there are several off trails that lead back up to the same place or meander off somewhere else. 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. When we hiked Keyhole Cave there was a couple already inside who had rope and dropped it down for us to use just in case. 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. Take your time, watch your steps and you will arrive safely at the base of the cave. While this part is doable for most everyone, the real issue comes when you reach the cave and attempt to climb up into it. Bus Tours. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. 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. The views from inside the Keyhole Cave Sedona are spectacular, and rewarding after the climb. PARKING PASS: Required for parking at the trailhead. We will include photos for every step of the Keyhole Cave hike so you can visualize the trail. Park at Boynton Canyon Trailhead and walk for around 1.3 miles until you reach a left turn onto a spur trail. It is pretty easy to get off trail so we recommend using AllTrails. Boynton Canyon Exactly how to find the famous Subway Cave on Boynton Canyon Trail, the most photographed cave in Sedona. Stay at Greentree Inn Sedona from $186/night, Andante Inn of Sedona from $153/night, Sedona Village Lodge from $105/night and more. Top ways to experience Teacup Trail and nearby attractions. Check out Hiking for Beginners 101- The Best Guide for New Hikers to get started! Be advised, if not using the authors GPX files, the final leg may not be very clear. I always recommend tracking yourself or following an already made track so you can check in and be sure youre on the right path. You can buy a Red Rock Pass at this specific recreation.gov site in advance. If full, park at Andante Trailhead and walk Andante Trail to Thunder Mountain Trail and the joining point with Teacup. Soldier Pass Cave is a uniquely shaped cave in Sedona. 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