We absolutely loved experiencing both the Subway Cave and the Birthing Cave during our time in Sedona. They are very popular so it's nice to plan ahead to either hike them early in the morning or later in the day after most people are done. We were there the first part of March which meant wonderful weather and fewer people.
Tips
We recommend using a trail map like the ones we link from AllTrails that show the cave locations and turnoffs because they are often not marked well and are easy to miss. In Sedona the cell coverage is really spotty when out hiking so it's a good idea to download trail maps ahead of time to make sure they're accessible. Sedona parking is always a challenge and the best solution is to arrive early or later in the day and make sure you have a Red Rock Parking Pass.
Subway Cave
To get there we hiked the Gordon's Ridge via Boynton Canyon Trail and after 2.5 miles the trail ended and we veered off a little to reach the area where we climbed up to the cave and around the super cool rock formations. The trail map shows the location of the cave so you know which way to go as depicted here.
The total hike took us 6 miles with 883 feet of elevation gain. The trail was mostly red dirt and initially wove its way past lots of buildings that were part of the Enchantment Resort. As it continued into the canyon we passed various types of vegetation and lots of classic Sedona red rock.
Reaching the Ruins & Cave
The part of the trail to get up to the cave and the Sinagua ruins does require some scrambling and probably wouldn't be great if you are scared of heights. We didn't feel unsafe but were glad we had shoes with good traction.
We turned left at first to explore the side that had the ruins and loved the wide sweeping views and cool formations in every direction.
Then we climbed our way over to the Subway Cave and up inside it. It's just such an amazing experience to stand there and see the shape of it as well as the gorgeous scenery!
After enjoying ourselves up there we slid our way down the chute to reach the bottom where we turned around and headed back.
Birthing Cave
This a large shallow cave and the short hike there was 2 miles roundtrip with a 291 feet of elevation gain which came at the end as we worked our way up to the cave opening. The route there was flat and set in a wide open area with a dirt trail.
The turnoff is easily missed so we were glad we had downloaded our map! After climbing up to the cave we were rewarded with sweeping panoramic views.
Two great places to hike and see when you're in this beautiful part of Arizona.
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