But please be warned, the climb into Keyhole is not easy. Required fields are marked *. 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. While it is not some crazy steep long way down, the issue is the lack of holds and slippery face as mentioned. Ideally come down on your butt and use all of the foot and hand holds at a nice slow pace. Sedona swimming holes are some of the best places to cool off in the city when the temperatures soar. Fay Canyon Arch is southwest facing, which means it remains in total darkness if you arrive any time between sunrise and midday. Wander In Arizona is a comprehensive resource for hiking, camping, and exploring Arizona. Thanks for sharing the map! Keyhole Cave Access: Sugarloaf One of the largest alcoves in the area, Keyhole Cave can actually be seen from many places in West Sedona. Your Travel Guide To The Grand Canyon State. Enjoy the views of the grand Sugarloaf mountain and the desert landscapes on the horizon. Just want to Thank You for your directions. Well, Subway Cave is the most popular instagram and photography cave in Sedona. If you enter it into Google Maps it will take you right to it. Keyhole Cave Park at Sugar Loaf / Teacup Trailhead which has 14 spaces. But that said, you can also take the trail in the north which goes to the cave. Subway Cave is arguably the most famous and sought after cave to visit in Sedona. I always recommend tracking yourself or following an already made track so you can check in and be sure youre on the right path. As youre hiking up the wash youll notice several trails that zigzag across it. Take your time and take small steps to prevent slipping and falling back into a cactus. Park at Sugar Loaf / Teacup Trailhead and walk up Teacup Trail for 0.3 miles until it joins with Thunder Mountain Trail. Subway Cave is east facing which means you should try to access the cave as early in the day as possible for best light. Soldier Pass Hike to Devils Kitchen and Seven Sacred Pools before climbing into Soldier Pass Cave on the family friendly Soldier Pass Trail in Sedona. Also, the area lies in the flood region, so do not hike during the rainy and stormy seasons. You can still get parked during the day but you might have to sit in a line or park a long way away from the trail you want to hike. Arrive early to the lot in peak season for the best chance of snagging a coveted parking spot at Sugar Loaf Trailhead. If you dont have either, buy a 1 day or 7 day pass at the ticket machine or online at recreation.gov. It is easier to reach the base of the cave but you will have to navigate through thorns and cacti as the trail is not marked anywhere. Park At Sugar Loaf Trailhead And Display Or Buy A Pass, Hiking The Wash Vs The Direct Route To Keyhole Cave, What To Pack For Hiking Keyhole Cave Trail. In addition, thorns and cacti can cause problems and the trail is not marked. There are two ways you can hike the fantastic Pyramid and Scorpion trails. We now help over 2 million people each year to travel, hike and photograph their bucket list destinations. Distance: 4 miles RT Peak Elevation: 4,600 ft. Elevation Gain: 420 ft. Accessing Hideout Cave means driving 50 minutes from Sedona, mostly on gravel roads and then hiking a short trail to reach the cave entrance. Turn right onto a spur trail and follow it until you reach a steep bank. There wasnt a lot of information online that I could find, and trying to follow others vague directions proved to be ineffective. Note that since it is a residential neighbourhood, you cannot park on the road. It is best to get down on the right side, the same way you went up. Buy an annual pass if you intend to revisit Sedona in the next year. If parking is full at Sugarloaf / Teacup trailhead, try parking at Andante trailhead instead or worst case Thunder Mountain trailhead. 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. 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. If you plan to hike more trails around Sedona over a period of 2 7 days, you should buy the 7 day pass because you will need it at many other trailheads in the area. Duck inside and walk around to explore the remaining caves in this network. Going next weekend, being that it is the weekend after thanksgiving Im worried about how busy it will be in parking areas. As always, please be considerate of the environment so we can keep enjoying it and rememberto leave no trace. You may have to sidestep or go back on yourself but that is fine, just find another path heading north. 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. The climb up is very steep and slippery. Some branches hang low over the trail and you may need to use two hands to step over some large rock areas, but overall the wash is extremely easy to follow and traverse. 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. They like to sit on the rocks to soak up some sun. Las Vegas Heading to Vegas on your Southwest adventure? If roadside parking is full, park at Mescal Trailhead and walk the connecting trail to join Birthing Cave trail. Sedona has a total of 7 caves. You must take the right turn at the split and climb a fairly steep gradient to gain access to Solider Pass Cave in Sedona. There are very few other top attractions nearby, which helps keep these two trails quiet. Accessing the cave does not require any climbing or use of hands, but there is a steep bank to climb on the final approach. Hi Samantha, glad to hear you're heading to Sedona! It is best to avoid hiking during or after flash floods season. Spring and Fall represent the two best seasons for visiting Sedona in general when hiking conditions are most comfortable. I found people dont stay here for very long since the trails are short so it is a fast turnaround! Parking: Parking is limited. This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. This way you can benefit from perfect hiking and light conditions. As mentioned this is not for the faint of heart so if you are not a confident hiker/climber do not try to go up into the cave. We took the right approach both on the way up and down. Once you get up onto that lower ledge the hard part is over. I would strongly recommend you wear fully covered clothing like pants because theres a good chance you may have this problem too, not to mention that there are animals like snakes in the area and just wearing more protective clothing is safer in general here. Come 5:23 Hidden Hiking Gem In Sedona Arizona: Keyhole Cave Via Sugarloaf. Solider Pass Cave Soldier Pass Trail. 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 natural foot placements in the rock but you might want to take rope along in case you need help getting up the near vertical rock face entrance. Youll need to watch your footing on the scree and for cacti along the narrow trail. Very few know about Keyhole Cave and even fewer take it on once they hear about the unmarked trail and climb. Bus Tours. It was quiet, off the beaten path, harder to access and felt like more of an adventure. Las Vegas Heading to Vegas on your Southwest adventure? Have a great time! 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. Coming down you will want to go against that wall on the front of the entrance (down the Right side you came up). Instead of one single cave opening, Soldier Pass Cave has 3 small but completely separate light sources. Luckily I missed the cactus and landed safely. We used the buddy system and went one after another, lending a hand and passing the pack up and down. Youll 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. It is definitely worth visiting Keyhole Cave, the biggest cave you can hike to in Sedona on your itinerary. 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. You will go left and just follow Thunder Mountain Trail at this junction. You are actually starting this hike on Teacup Trail despite the parking area being called Sugar Loaf. Heres why you should visit these Sedona caves with just one day: Got your days planned out? 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 hike to Keyhole Cave is not physically tough, but you will need good navigation and pathfinding skills. Looking for hiking inspiration? Aim to arrive inside Birthing Cave between 12pm and 3pm for optimal light conditions. Teacup leads to Sugar Loaf Loop but it also continues on as far as Soldier Pass Trail 1.5 miles over to the east. It is always quieter because parking spaces are limited for the Long Canyon Trail. Rome2rio makes travelling from Brea to Sedona easy. Our advice is not to worry about being able to find Keyhole Cave. The cave is accessed via significant off-trail hiking, which means forging a path through rugged desert wilderness. You still need to be organized and plan effectively otherwise youll spend your days frustrated about not being able to park anywhere. Entering Keyhole Cave isnt easy. I found sticking to the wash is the easiest and most direct way to reach the cave. Sometimes it is difficult to explain exact directions in the outdoors when trails arent very straight forward Part of the challenge for sure, but next time I visit I will try to pay more attention on how I can describe the last part better. Early morning the cave will be dark and you wont get those vibrant orange colors. We highly recommend adding this fun off-trail hike to your Sedona itinerary. If full, try to park at Fay Canyon and hike along Aerie Trail to reach the trailhead. 1.2K Likes, TikTok video from Desert Sistas (@desert.sistas): " Keyhole Cave via Sugarloaf Trail This hike is located in Sedona, Arizona and is ranked moderate. It is not a cave in the traditional sense of the word but the Sedona landscape can be framed from behind the arch similarly to that inside most of the caves on this list. Read our popular guide to the 50 best hikes in the USA next! Are short so it is a comprehensive resource for hiking, camping, and exploring.... For cacti along the narrow Trail, lending a hand and passing the pack up and.. Steps to prevent slipping and falling back into a cactus organized and plan otherwise. Right approach both on the rocks to soak up some sun is definitely worth Keyhole! It joins with Thunder Mountain Trail at this junction Cave will be dark and you wont get those vibrant colors. 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