We visited the birthing cave in May of 2021. After a week-long trip hiking across Nevada, Utah, and Arizona, we saw some of the most beautiful places in the United States. The Birthing Cave continued to exceed our expectations and was the perfect way to end this trip. If you are interested in our 7-day itinerary, check out one of our first blogs where we detail every step we took!
You’ll find the landscape in Sedona, AZ to be breathtaking. The mountains are picturesque and are something out of a movie. There are so many great hikes available in this area. If I could have done it all over again, I would have planned more days in Sedona.
The Birthing Cave was beautiful and somewhat difficult to find. It’s an unmarked trail and we actually took the wrong trail the first time where we ran into two wild boars… Justin thinks it’s a cool story… I thought we were going to die. So anytime you are hiking in this area, keep an eye out for wild boars.
You can find parking at the Long Canyon trailhead. We had difficulty finding the trailhead…. we first parked in a parking lot where you had to pay to park there. If you find this parking lot, you are in the wrong place. There is a small parking lot at the trailhead, but it fills up rather quickly. We ended up parking on the side of the road because there isn’t much parking. We highly recommend planning your hike as early as possible to beat the heat and the crowds.
The hike itself is a relatively flat 2 miles out and back hike. You will need to climb up some pretty steep terrain at the main end where you enter the cave. Although the hike itself is unmarked, it’s a popular trail which means two things. 1) You will more than likely be hiking the trail with several other people and 2) The path to the cave is well-kept. We are going to try to provide you with guidance; however, we do recommend having All Trails or another map to ensure you do not get lost.
You will begin on Long Canyon trail which is the beginning of the Birthing Cave hike. If you have your phone or an Apple watch, try to measure out when you’ve walked approximately .6 miles. At this point, you should be at a fork in the trail, take the trail to the left. It may look slightly less traveled but trust the process!
Once you have hiked almost a mile in, you will come upon another fork where you will once again hang a left. This may seem odd considering that when we went, there were some logs crossing the path. Just step over the logs and continue on the trail. Now, you should be able to look up to see the cave above you. The last bit of the hike is quite steep as you are going into the cave. The cave somewhat resembles a heart if you look up at it from the ground. We will warn you that there are several cacti that are on this steep portion of the hike. Watch your footing… and watch your hands! Poor Justin ended up getting pricked a few times.
If you would like a full 7-day itinerary for our time in Arizona, Utah, and Nevada, check out our blog! It is already posted and gives details about where to stay, eat, and hike. We hope this helps you plan your trip to Sedona, Arizona! If you have any questions about the trip, be sure to reach out to us by commenting below or directly messaging us on Instagram. If you want more great footage of our time here, be sure to check out our Instagram page! Safe travels y’all! – Justin & Caitlin