If you’ve been planning a trip to Sedona, Arizona, chances are you’ve seen those iconic pictures of Subway Cave. This unique cave resembles, you guessed, an underground subway.
While the Subway Cave used to be a “secret” cave in Sedona and is still unmarked, it is far from secret. Because of its cool scenery and photo opportunities, this trail has exploded in popularity over the years.
However, it can still be a challenge to find the cave, which is located off of the Boynton Canyon Trail. Many hikers on AllTrails mention that they weren’t able to find the cave, and you probably don’t want to be one of those hikers.
In this guide, I’ll share detailed instructions and tips to help you have the best hike to Subway Cave ever!
Subway Cave hiking stats
- Difficulty: moderate
- Length: ~5 miles out-and-back
- Time: 3-5 hours
- Best time to go: before sunrise or late afternoon
Subway Cave hiking instructions
Getting to the trailhead
Park at the Boynton Canyon Trailhead on the right side of Boynton Canyon Road. The trailhead houses a fairly large lot, but it fills up very quickly, so you will want to get here early.
Do keep in mind that you must have either a Red Rock or America the Beautiful Pass to park at this trailhead.
If you are unable to find a spot at the trailhead, you can park on the shoulder of Boynton Pass Road and walk to the trailhead from there.
For context, I took the above photo at 11am on a Saturday in January. By this time, the parking lot was completely full.
Boynton Canyon Trail
Start off on the Boynton Canyon Trail. You will remain on this trail until you reach the turn-off for Subway Cave.
After walking for a short while, you will reach this trail junction. Keep left to the Boynton Canyon Trail.
From here, it is another short walk until the next junction.
OPTIONAL: Boynton Vista Overlook
Now, you have a decision to make. If you want, you can turn right for the Boynton Canyon Vista, a short, .2 mile trail that leads you up to an overlook. Or, you can continue straight on the Boynton Canyon Trail.
If you are here early in the morning, I suggest you save Boynton Canyon Vista for after Subway Cave. This way, you will hit the busier spot first AND have better lighting for photography at the Boynton Canyon Vista.
If you do this right away, however, here are the instructions. First, you will be walking along a wide but rocky path.
Soon, you will have to hike up some slickrock in order to get to the vista.
Once at the vista, you get several different beautiful perspectives of the surrounding Sedona area.
Again, I do recommend saving this until after you visit Subway Cave.
Continuing on Boynton Canyon Trail
As you continue on the Boynton Canyon Trail, you get views of the Enchantment Resort. If you are hiking later in the day, chances are you’ll be hearing people playing pickleball. 🙂
At first, the trail has a few ups and downs, and you are treated with beautiful views of red rock.
I definitely recommend starting this hike before sunrise, so you can have the trail mostly or all to yourself. When my mom and I hiked to Subway Cave, we saw no one on the trail until the cave itself.
If you do hike this later in the day, be prepared to give other hikers right-of-way.
Although the hike is right next to a resort, you’ll hear birds singing and maybe even see some deer.
At this next trail junction, continue to the right.
At this point, the trail becomes surrounded with shrubbery as you leave the Enchantment Resort behind.
Soon, the trail will wind through a wooded area. Once you start hiking under these trees, be alert, because the Subway Cave turn-off is coming soon.
Finding Subway Cave turn-off
The problem with the Subway Cave turn-off is that it is not super obvious. If you’re not paying attention, it’s incredibly easy to walk right past it and completely miss it.
So, here are my best tips for finding the turn-off, which is around 2 miles into the hike.
The turn-off is RIGHT ACROSS from this large alligator juniper tree (see my mom in the picture below). While there are a few other trees like this on the trail, this one is all by itself and has a very distinctive look.
Right past this tree, the Boynton Canyon Trail curves to the left. So if you are moving to the left quite a bit, you may want to re-trace your steps and see if you missed the spur trail.
The spur trail should look like this:
Here is my final tip: right after you pass the turn-off, you’ll see this two little trees that cross. They’re only 2-4 feet tall, so they may be easy to miss, but if you see them, turn around and the spur trail will be just a few feet back.
Subway Cave spur trail
While the Subway Cave spur trail is unmarked, it is not hard to follow. You will likely even see other hikers making their way to the cave.
There is one small junction where it is not apparent where to go; at this junction, stay to the left.
After leading through the forest for a bit, the trail then takes you along the base of the red cliffs.
Once you see this sign, you are almost to the cave.
Scrambling into Subway Cave
Once you reach the entrance to Subway Cave, you’ll have to scramble in order to get into the actual cave.
If you look at the picture below, you’ll have to scramble up in the incline, which will take you into the back of the cave.
To get into the cave, I recommend scrambling up the rock “steps” on the left of the incline. About halfway up, the “steps” end, and from here, I recommend switching over to the right side and completing the scramble.
While it may be a bit tricky to get into the cave, it won’t be too challenging as long as you are fit and agile.
In Subway Cave
Once you finish scrambling, turn around and you will get this exceptional view.
The area at the back of the cave is very small, so give other people space to take photos as well.
If you’d like, you can walk out onto the ledges of the cave.
The left ledge is very easy to walk out onto – no scrambling required! It is about 4-5 feet wide but eventually narrows before ending, so don’t go out too far.
In order to get onto the right ledge, you will need to scramble up this short bit of sloped rock. It doesn’t look too challenging (I did not do this), but as always, be careful.
The right ledge is about the same width as the left one, you can actually take the right ledge around the corner and visit some Sinagua ruins. I did not do this, but it sounds like a great thing to do (just be careful as it can get narrow).
To get back down to the ground, I recommend crab-walking down the left side of the incline.
Finishing the hike
Now, follow the spur trail back to the Boynton Canyon Trail.
From here, you can hike to the end of the Boynton Canyon Trail for a nice view, or return to your car.
When to hike to Subway Cave
If possible, I highly, highly, highly recommend starting your hike early (at least half an hour before sunrise). This is a very busy hike in Sedona, and the fewer people you encounter at Subway Cave, the easier it will be to scramble up and take your photos.
My mom and I started at 7am on a January Saturday. We saw no one until Subway Cave, and we even had Subway Cave to ourselves for a bit. Around 8:45, the hikers started arriving at the cave.
Around 9:30, however, was really the time the trail exploded with hikers.
If you can’t go early in the morning, late afternoon would be another good time to visit the cave.
Check AllTrails reviews in the days leading up to your hike, because reviewers often will mention how crowded the hike was.
What to bring to Subway Cave
- Water (lots in the summer)
- Hiking shoes with good traction
- Sunscreen + sunhat
- Camera/smartphone
- Hiking poles (optional)
- Snack (optional)
Subway Cave hike conclusion
If you are visiting Sedona soon, put Subway Cave near the top of your list. The Boynton Canyon and Boynton Canyon Vista Trails are very nice, and of course, Subway Cave is an incredible place to stop.
Also, check out my Sedona Travel Guide, which includes epic hikes like Devil’s Bridge and more.
If you have any questions, be sure to let me know in the comments.
Well, what are you waiting for? Go ahead, get out on the trail!
Happy hiking!
Fascinating the way the Enchantment Resort blends right into the landscape!
Yes, the resort looked pretty cool. What really was funny, however, is that near the start of the hike was a sign informing you that you were about to enter wilderness and that wilderness was land with “minimal signs of human activity” (or something like that). Well, five minutes later, what did we see but resort buildings right next to the trail! It was very ironic and incredibly hilarious.
The early bird gets the worm, eh, PG? Looks like a stupendous hike. Thanks for sharing such great directions and photos. When is your next adventure?