Keyhole Cave in Sedona: Exact Directions
A trip to the red rocks of Sedona isn’t complete without hiking to one of its famous caves, like Keyhole Cave. Keyhole Cave is probably my favorite of them all, and definitely worth the trip if you’ve got some extra time. I will advise up front, this hike isn’t for beginners as it requires route-finding skills. Let’s get started!
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A Note About Geotagging
Before we get into the location details, I wanted to briefly talk about the topic of GEOTAGGING vs. GATEKEEPING. Geotagging simply refers to tagging specific locations online. People who are against geotagging want to preserve and protect the land and limit visitation to what the area can handle. Gatekeeping would be the opposite- avoiding tagging locations or not sharing locations to keep others away from a location. People who are against gatekeeping believe the outdoors is for all, and we all should be able to equally access resources.
It is a very controversial topic these days. There is good and bad about each side. I personally like geotagging. Most of the places I’ve been in my life living in Arizona was because of social media. I want to share that joy with others, and like giving directions so people find it safely. If you don’t agree with me, that is OK. There is room for all of us to coexist. All of our opinions have validity. Life is full of GRAY AREAS. No matter what, please Leave No Trace.
WHEN TO VISIT KEYHOLE CAVE
The awesome part about Sedona is that you can visit year-round. I will warn you, Sedona gets hot in the summer! From June-August, the temperatures top off around 100 degrees. You can hike in the summer, but you NEED to go at sunrise or sunset. For the dog owners out there, I don’t take my dog out past 90 degrees.
December-March is my favorite time to be in Sedona. These photos were from mid-day (around 11am) in December, and we were wearing t-shirts! This cave faces south, so you should get pretty good lighting no matter the time of day.
WHERE IS KEYHOLE CAVE?
Keyhole Cave is in West Sedona. I like to categorize hikes and activities in Sedona into East, West, and North (with uptown being in the center). This is super important to know, as there is often times bottleneck traffic going in and out of the uptown region.
The Keyhole Cave Trail starts at Sugarloaf Trailhead. You can easily type that into Google or Apple Maps and find your way. NOTE: there is minimal parking here. We got lucky after waiting a few minutes, but I would suggest avoiding busy times (weekends, 8-11am). You CANNOT park in the surrounding neighborhood. You could also take an Uber.
NEED SOMEWHERE TO CAMP In Sedona?
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HIKING TO KEYHOLE CAVE
As I mentioned, the hike to Keyhole Cave starts from Sugarloaf Trailhead in West Sedona. Here are the hike details.
HIKE STATS
Your hike will start nice and easy and flat. You’ll probably see a good amount of hikers here as there are a lot of popular routes in the area.
When you hit the 0.3 mile mark (took us about 7 minutes), you’ll hit the Teacup and Thunder Mountain trail intersection. At this point, you’ll go LEFT. Almost immediately, you’ll turn right into the wash. I tried using the AllTrails path named “Keyhole Cave via Sugarloaf Trailhead” which actually went straight at this junction instead of left and up the wash. There are multiple little branches of trails, but I got confused and felt lost even using the AllTrails navigation.
On our way back down, I made our own route and found that following the wash is the easiest way to NOT get lost. I followed the green path below. When you leave the wash, the AllTrails trail is accurate again.
NOT USED TO HIKING WITHOUT PHONE SERVICE?
I use a Garmin InReach Mini 2 to communicate with people at home. You can also call SOS in an emergency. 100% worth the investment.
I’ll be honest, it’s not super fun to hike in a wash. There are a lot of fallen trees, slippery sand, and big rocks. Still worth it to see Keyhole Cave to me. You’ll hike for just under 0.7 miles in the wash before making the trek upward to the cave. When you see this large tree, go right!
After this point, you’ll gain most of your elevation: 300 ft in about 0.1 miles up to Keyhole Cave. There are multiple small trails upwards, just make sure to keep your balance and watch out for cactus on the trail! I highly suggest supportive hiking shoes so you don’t slip- this trail is steep! Within a few minutes, you should be able to see the cave. Make sure to stop and get a snack and catch your breath before deciding to climb up in the keyhole cave.
Need some caffeine before your hike? HERE are the best coffee shops in Sedona.
CLIMBING UP KEYHOLE CAVE
If you’re planning on bringing your pooch with you, this is the part of the hike that ISN’T very dog-friendly. My dog is very experienced with extreme hikes, so we took her with us, but we did have to help her up into Keyhole Cave. You can decide to go to the right or left of the cave, but we chose right. I went up first, and then my husband helped my dog up and handed her to me (she’s 45 lbs). If you choose to go up with your dog, please be careful. The photo below with my husband is the right-sided entry into the cave- the way we chose.
Need Good Hiking Boots?
Once you get up into the cave, you’ll notice the obvious “keyhole” shape. Make sure to take lots of fun photos, but remember no photo is worth risking your life. We spent about 30 minutes relaxing in the cave and even got to watch a group repel from the top- I definitely want to try this someday!
SUMMARY
We spent about 2 hours on this trail, a majority of that taking photos and eating snacks in the cave.
Here are a few tips:
- Remember dogs are allowed on this trail, but it is not very dog-friendly
- This trail is not for beginners, it requires route-finding skills
- You absolutely NEED AllTrails to navigate. Use this trail to help, but use the wash as I mentioned above
- Remember parking is minimal!
- Have fun, leave no trace, and be safe always.
