How To Hike Sedona Subway Cave + Boynton Canyon Trail by Mark and Kristen Morgan First Published: April 25, 2022 Last Updated: April 21, 2026 Share Pin It X LinkedIn Boynton Canyon Trail is one of the most popular hikes in Sedona because it leads to the Instagram-famous Subway Cave. We hiked the entire 7.5-mile trail with 1,250 feet elevation gain to see the cave, vortex site and end of trail viewpoint. The Subway Cave was located at the end of a short spur trail which began 2 miles into the Boynton Canyon hike. Was it worth it? Oh, yes!In this guide we explain everything you need to know about hiking Boynton Canyon Trail and show you exactly how to get to the Sedona Subway Cave based on our own experiences. Read more about us. Mark and Kristen alone inside the Sedona subway cave The Subway Cave was near the top of our hidden Sedona caves wishlist when we visited at the end of 2021. So when we hiked Boynton Canyon Trail, we prioritized finding the cave, before continuing to hike the rest of the trail. And because we visited Sedona in December, we had the entire Subway Cave to ourselves for the 30 minutes we spent inside, which was pretty awesome. What we can tell you after hiking all the popular trails during our 8-day Sedona trip is that Boynton Canyon with the Subway Cave is unmissable. But as a standalone hike without the cave, we think there are much better trails you should prioritize in Sedona, especially considering how busy it gets. Okay, let’s begin! Note: Our content is reader supported and contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you and it helps us keep this site running. SEDONA Planning 📖 Ultimate Sedona Guidebook: Get our complete 50+ page offline PDF with everything you need for Sedona. 📞 Personalized Sedona Planning Call: Book a call with Mark to have your questions answered, optimize your itinerary, avoid tourist traps and get our best insider tips. 💡 Still Planning? Read our essential first-timer’s guide to visiting Sedona. Table of Contents show Hiking Statistics Trail Map Getting To The Subway Cave Trail Walkthrough 1. Park Up And Display Or Buy A Pass 2. Take Boynton Canyon + Deadmans Pass Trail 3. Turn Left Onto Boynton Canyon 4. Enter Red Rock Wilderness 5. Residential Area 6. Views Begin To Open Up 7. Don’t Take Any False Trails 8. Walk Through Light Forest 9. Find The Subway Cave Turnoff Tree 10. Look For The Wide Opening 11. Follow The Narrow Trail 12. Spot The Subway Cave 13. Climb The Steep Bank 14. Walk Around The Curving Ledge 15. Navigate The Narrow Cave Entrance 16. Enter The Subway Cave 17. See The Small Ruins 18. Get Back On Boynton Canyon Trail 19. Steep Climb To The End Of Trail Sign 20. Boynton Canyon Vortex Site Pros And Cons Boynton Canyon Trailhead Parking Parking Passes When To See Sedona’s Subway Cave What To Pack Our Top 5 Tips The Morgan Conclusion Next Steps Hiking Statistics Clouds reflecting in puddles on the Boynton Canyon Trail You can hike Boynton Canyon Trail in three different ways: Boynton Canyon Trail Only (without Subway Cave or Vortex Site) Subway Cave Only Boynton Canyon Trail, Subway Cave + Vortex Site Let’s take a quick look at trail distance, elevation gain, hike difficulty and time required for the three hiking options you have on the Boynton Canyon hike in Sedona. 1. Boynton Canyon Trail Only (Without Subway Cave Or Vortex Site) Distance: 6.5 miles roundtrip Elevation Gain: 750 feet Difficulty: Easy / Moderate Time: 3 hours 2. Subway Cave Only Distance: 5 miles roundtrip Elevation Gain: 600 feet Difficulty: Moderate Time: 3 hours 3. Boynton Canyon Trail, Subway Cave + Vortex Site Distance: 7.5 miles roundtrip Elevation Gain: 1,250 feet Difficulty: Moderate Time: 5 hours Trail Map Map we created to show you the Boynton Canyon and Subway Cave trails The map above shows exactly what you can expect when hiking Boynton Canyon to the Subway Cave and vortex site. Map key: Yellow Icon – Boynton Canyon parking Blue Line – Boynton Canyon Trail Red Line – Boynton Vortex site Orange Star – Turn off for Subway Cave Orange Line – Subway Cave Trail Tip: If you’re trying to visit as many caves as possible, don’t miss the spur trail leading to Kachina Cave not long after passing through the residential area on the way into Boynton Canyon. Getting To The Subway Cave Mark silhouetted inside Subway Cave Sedona’s Subway Cave is accessed by taking a spur trail around 2 miles into the Boynton Canyon hike. A huge black and gray burned tree is the turn-off landmark to look out for.You’ll pass by multiple spur trails after starting the hike and wonder if you should turn or not. Do not turn off until you reach the large burned tree on the left side of the trail. This tree marks the exact place you need to turn right.Find the tree, look to the right and you’ll see a wide opening leading across a creek. When we hiked to Subway Cave, another hiker had made an arrow out of logs pointing t...