Hiking the Birthing Cave Trail in Sedona, Arizona
Distance: 2.0 miles / 3.2 km
The Birthing Cave Trail in Sedona, Arizona, is a beautiful, fun, short, and relatively easy day hike off the Long Canyon Trail that has become a local and visitor favorite because of the unique photos that can be captured from the very back of the cave.
That said, the Birthing Cave Trail is not an official trail maintained by the National Forest Service. Rather, it follows the Long Canyon Trail for over half of the hike to the cave before it branches off to the cave on what’s considered a 'social' trail—meaning a trail that has been created by hikers over time—much like others around the country, such as the Delta Lake Trail in Grand Teton National Park.
Now, this 'unmaintained' section of the Birthing Cave Trail is truly no different from the sections that are, and hikers should have no difficulty making it to the cave, apart from the very steep and loose sections at the very end.
Birthing Cave Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Birthing Cave Trail is located at the Long Canyon Trailhead off Long Canyon Road, about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north of Sedona.
Before arriving, be aware that the most trailheads in Sedona are considered U.S. Fee Areas, meaning that hikers are required to pay to park or leave a valid federal recreation pass—like the ones commonly used for National Park entry—in the dash of your vehicle.
Google Maps Directions: Birthing Cave Trailhead
Southwest Hiking Checklist
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in the Southwest U.S.
Hiking the Birthing Cave Trail
The Birthing Cave Trail begins at the Long Canyon Trailhead on the west side of Long Canyon Road, where it follows a popular hiking and biking route for roughly 0.7 miles (1.1 km) to the junction where it splits toward the cave itself.
Long Canyon-Mescal Junction
Immediately after beginning the hike, the Long Canyon Trail splits, with a short connector over to the Mescal Trail that leads to the same route for the Devil’s Bridge Trail via the Mescal Trailhead.
That said, go straight (right) here to stay on the Long Canyon Trail to the Birthing Cave.
For the most part, the hike to the Birthing Cave is fairly easy and straightforward, outside of the slightly hidden left turn that leaves the Long Canyon Trail up ahead.
I hope these photos make it obvious, but there is very little shade on the Birthing Cave Trail during the early morning hours, which is when most hikers visit to get the best photos in the cave.
For this reason—and truly for all Sedona trails—I highly recommend hiking in a hooded sun shirt, which is certainly useful here and for day hikes across the Southwest.
This hard left turn on the Birthing Cave Trail (Long Canyon) is not a split with another trail, but rather an area of intersecting trails leading from the nearby golf course, which has been closed for restoration purposes.
After the turn, the Long Canyon Trail will continue to make its way over to the split with the Birthing Cave Trail, about 0.3 miles (0.5 km) away.
Birthing Cave-Long Canyon Junction
At about 0.7 miles (1.1 km) into the hike, the Long Canyon Trail finally splits from the route that leads to the Birthing Cave.
This is where the rest of the Birthing Cave Trail becomes 'unmaintained,' but, as previously mentioned, hikers will likely not notice any change in difficulty or directions, as the Birthing Cave is a very well-trafficked Sedona day hike.
All this to say, go left at this big, open junction, and do not follow the Long Canyon Trail arrow shown below to continue toward the Birthing Cave.
This trail to continue toward the Birthing Cave may not initially be obvious from the junction above, but after making the left turn, the rest of the hike to the cave should be fairly straightforward, like the beginning.
From this clearing, the Birthing Cave starts to become visible in the distance for the first time!
Once at the base of the Birthing Cave, the trail makes a hard right turn to begin the final steep ascent, gaining roughly 100 ft. (30.5 m) in less than 0.1 miles (0.2 km) to the mouth of the cave.
These steep, loose sections at the very end generally prove to be the most difficult parts of the entire Birthing Cave Trail.
Birthing Cave
After exactly 1.0 mile (1.6 km), the Birthing Cave Trail ends at the mouth of the cave.
That said, these first views don’t really show why the Birthing Cave is so aptly named. However, the farther toward the back of the cave you hike, the more apparent it becomes, with the best spot to take photos being the small hole that can be seen in the photo below.
Warning
While the Birthing Cave may seem like a fun place to run around and explore, the back of the cave and the ledges along the sides are very steep, to say the least, and making it to the hole at the back of the cave is trickier and steeper than it will initially appear.
What is the Best Time to Hike the Birthing Cave Trail?
The best time to hike the Birthing Cave Trail is early in the morning, but not too early.
The idea behind taking photos like this is to hike the Birthing Cave Trail early enough to beat the crowds, but not so early or so late that it’s too dark or the harsh desert light washes out the best colors.
There’s obviously some variability depending on the time of year, but a good rule of thumb is to begin hiking from the Long Canyon Trailhead about an hour to an hour-and-a-half after sunrise.
