How to Hike to Keyhole Cave in Sedona, AZ

Keyhole Cave is a fun and adventurous cave to visit in Sedona, Arizona, and, unlike others such as the Subway or Birthing Cave, is much less known and sees fewer visitors. It ended up being one of my favorite hikes I did in Sedona!

The hike to Keyhole Cave isn’t particularly long, but there are a few tricky aspects about getting to and climbing into the cave. So, in this guide, we’re sharing all the details for how to access the trailhead, what trails to follow, how to get into the cave, how long the hike takes, and more.

Overall Trail Stats

  • Distance: 2 miles round trip
  • Elevation gain: 531 feet, with about 400 feet of that elevation gain occurring in the last 1/5 of a mile.
  • Difficulty: Hard, just for the scramble up in the cave. The majority of the hike is very easy
  • Fees: A Red Rock Pass or any kind of National Parks Pass is required to park in the trailhead. You can purchase a pass on-site.
  • Pets: Pets are allowed on the trail, but must be leashed. However, I wouldn’t recommend bringing dogs on this hike, as the scramble up to the cave opening and then up the cliff into the depths of the cave is pretty intense.
  • Cell service: We had it the whole time.

Parking and the Trailhead for Keyhole Cave

To access Keyhole Cave, park at the Sugarloaf trailhead parking lot here. This may also be called the Teacup Trailhead parking lot. This parking lot is on the smaller side and holds 12 cars. We had no problem finding a spot when we arrived at about 7am on a weekday in May, but I imagine it feels up later in the day.

The Trail

The Teacup Trail starts right from the parking lot – you’re going to follow this trail for 1/3 of a mile, and then you’ll come to this intersection of paths. The sign points one way for Teacup Trail and the other way for Thunder Mountain. You’re going to ignore both of those paths and instead head straight forward on the little unmarked dirt trail behind the sign.

Once you get on this unmarked trail, you’ll frequently run into other small dirt paths and weave and intersect with each other regularly. All of these paths will join back together again, so it doesn’t really matter which one you take.

You will actually be able to see Keyhole Cave ahead of you on the mountain (mostly straight ahead, a little to the right), so as long as you are heading basically in the direction of the cave, any of the dirt paths are fine.

After going about 0.9 miles total, you’ll be at the base of the mountain, and the trail becomes very steep and much more rocky and sandy. It’s a tough but manageable climb up – anyone mildly fit can do it.

Getting Into the Cave

This trail ends at the opening of the cave, which already rewards you with excellent views. You’ll be just barely inside the cave opening, but can appreciate the views and drama of the cave entrance. If you decide not to go farther, this is still an excellent view.

However, to really get the full experience, you’ll need to scale a cliff edge to get up into the heart of the cave. This is the toughest part of the trail and a lot of people just stop at the mouth of the cave and don’t scramble up, because it does require some free scrambling and is pretty sheer.

This is a 30-foot, class III climb, and was a little bit nerve-wracking for me, as someone who loves hiking and scrambling but has a mild fear of heights. Class III indicates “Climbing a steep hillside, moderate exposure, a rope may be carried but not used, and hands are used in climbing. A short fall could be possible.”

We started going up right in the middle and stopped – it just felt too sketchy. Then we decided to try on the left side, which was much more manageable and we felt okay with this side.

I am not a rock climber and a little bit afraid of heights, so this is not something I would have wanted to do with myself. I was with my brother who, while also not a rock climber, is much more confident and surefooted, and together we were totally fine. Either way, having a buddy is a good idea to help out with a hand or just help give directions for best spot for hand and foot placement.

Also, make sure when you are climbing up that you are assessing whether you will be able to come down (it’s usually harder to come down than climb up).

I didn’t feel like it was an overly dangerous scramble up, and with a buddy it was very manageable, but this is obviously something that you need to gauge for yourself based on your abilities and confidence level.

Being in Keyhole Cave

Once you get to the top, the views are really epic. The cave is quite big and really beautiful. Mountains are right in front of the cave entrance, framed wonderfully by the opening. And it really does feel like you’re peeking through a keyhole.

There’s a large ledge that you can walk around and enjoy a lot of different vantage points, and you can easily spend 20-30 minutes just wandering around, taking in the views, and snapping pictures.

Coming Back

While going down a cliff side is usually harder than going up, I didn’t feel like it was too bad coming back down the cliff edge. Then you’ll just retrace your steps to the parking lot.

Wrap Up Thoughts

This was an awesome hike and adventurous cave experience in Sedona, with some really epic views. Even if you just go to the cave opening, you’ll still get to enjoy a great vista.

Other Hikes to Do in Sedona

Check out my other Sedona hiking guides – these are all top bucket list hikes and experiences in Sedona:

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