4 Best Cave Hikes In Sedona

The hike begins at the parking lot where you get onto the trail passing the map that shows information and trails in the area… however it doesn’t show the location of the secret caves!

FYI: be sure not to get onto the ATV trail and that you go down the walking trail. Follow the trail and you will instantly cross a little stream or dry creek bed pending time of year.

Then it is up a little hill and go right. Within half a mile you will see Devil’s Kitchen.

Devil’s Kitchen is the largest sinkhole in Sedona. Devil’s Kitchen sinkhole is 150 ft wide and 50 ft deep, which was created in the late 1800s.

After checking out Devil’s Kitchen it is back on the trail towards your next treat, the Seven Sacred Pools.

The Seven Sacred Pools are less than a mile away and another great bucket list spot in Sedona.

What are the Seven Sacred Pools and how were they formed? The Seven Sacred Pools were naturally created and cut from the sandstone canyon. From there they are filled from a natural stream.

Some of their beauty comes from the reflection of the blue skies and surrounding red rock. Depending on the time of year you can spot the tadpoles living within them.

After exploring around the the Seven Sacred Pools it’s time to hop back on the path and get going to the caves!

The Caves are a little hard to find and are 3/4 miles from the seven sacred pools.

You will come to a fork in the road (above), which one side has a little log and some sticks placed in front of it, which pushes people to the left.

You want to go right/straight & walk over those sticks to carry on for less than 1/4 a mile up to the table mesa.

From there looking up and you might be able to see a where the caves are. At the end of the Mesa in the far back right corner (NW corner) you will see the path to start going up (pictured below).

There might even be a cactus arrow still there for you.

From there the trek gets a little harder as you start to ascend up the hill. Less than a mile more you will get up close and personal to the caves.

Be sure to take your time and explore them all as they all have their own unique vantage points and pictures.

There are two sets of caves and both are pretty cool but the main one is unreal.

Tip: use Pano on your iPhone to get the whole cave entrance when taking a picture from within.

Be sure to climb up into the main cave. There are two different ways to do it, one from the outside and one from the inside. Both are not easy and shouldn’t be attempted by those that aren’t fairly athletic.

Again, the pictures within the cave are unreal! Definitely my new favorite picture in Sedona! Plus everyone has a Devil’s Bridge picture these days, go explore something new!

Getting to the hike in itself is a little confusing as Google Maps sometimes will take you past the trail. This is especially true as there is a good chance you might not have service out there.

Thus, definitely download Google offline maps before you go. You should always download the offline maps on any trip, it is such a good help!

Anyways, head to Long Canyon Trailhead and there will probably be cars parked to the left where you can see a trail entrance.

If you go to the golf course you went 1/4 mile too far and will get turned around by security.

Once you find the trailhead, there is a trail map just at the start. Start at Long Canyon Trailhead and go straight for about .6 miles until there is a fork in the road. From there you go left, which the sticks direct you that way.

From there just another .4 miles going directly at the mountain you are walking towards, which is where the cave is. There may be sticks crossed again to keep people off the track as at one point the path was closed for re-vegetation.

Thus, please stick to the path if you are hiking there. You will see the mouth of the cave and probably see people up there or hear them so it isn’t too difficult to find.

Once you make it there is one of the most immaculate views you will ever come across. It truly is stunning and so serene overlooking the red rocks of sedona.