Weather: 79ยบ, mix of sun, clouds, and rain
About this Hike: This was really two hikes out to separate caves in the Sedona area. The first cave is the Subway Cave and the second is the Birthing Cave. I've seen many pictures of both, and wanted to see them up close for myself.
The Subway Cave is a bone of contention with Sedona locals and preservationists alike. This once little-known area has become an overrun tourist trap, just like so much of Sedona. On a rainy Tuesday morning the full parking lot at Boynton Canyon attested to this.
After hiking a few miles up Boynton Canyon, there is a side trail to the Subway. Someone put fallen tree limbs in front of it, indicating that this is not a trail. Many a confused tourist continued straight on Boynton Canyon, so the tree limbs served their purpose of throwing off the inexperienced hikers just doing this for the Instagram photos.
As you approach the Subway, a sign asks that people respect the cultural heritage and significance of this site. In addition to the cave, there are native ruins and petroglyphs.
The ruins and petroglyphs are easy to get up to and only require scrambling. There is something of a mezzanine that wraps around the red rock face from the ruins and into the cave. However, there are at least two sketchy ledges that one wrong move would lead to a fall of certain death. The cave can also be accessed via a slick red rock chute at the mouth of the cave. While older, less-in-shape folks than myself were getting up into the cave, I could not. I deal with extreme fear of heights, and thought this was one I should sit out. I climbed up the chute enough to at least see inside the cave. It was crowded with tourists, and honestly, not that appealing.
The aptly named Birthing Cave was a lot easier. A relatively short hike leads to the crevice in the red rock cliffs, and only a scramble is required to get up into the cave.
From Robbers Roost, to Keyhole, and now to Subway—myself and the Sedona caves have a checkered history. In fact Birthing Cave is the only one I've been able to fully get inside of. Loose rock shelves and narrow ledges have kept me from fully getting inside the other caves. I calculate risk carefully, and these are risks I'm not willing to take.
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