Soldier Pass Trail: How to Find the Hidden Cave and 7 Sacred Pools

Soldier Pass and its beautiful hidden cave have always been elusive to us. Mainly due to finding a parking spot at the trailhead. Fortunately, on our last trip, we were lucky enough to find the one and only spot there. After hiking this trail, we can see why Soldier Pass is a very popular hike. Besides its famous cave, this hike also features the super neat sinkhole Devils Kitchen, the beautiful 7 Sacred Pools, and amazing panoramic views of the area.

Note: Please make sure to respect this beautiful place and the surround areas. Always practice LEAVE NO TRACE. This means no loud music, no graffiti and pack out what you pack in! Please help us protect this place for generations to come!

Stats

Where

Soldier Pass Trail trailhead:
Forest Service 9904 Rd, Sedona, AZ 86336
34°53’03.7″N 111°47’01.6″W

Jordan Road Trailhead:
34°53’17.1″N 111°46’06.4″W

Parking

There are 15 parking spots on a dirt lot at Soldier Pass Trailhead. This is a gated parking lot, only opens from 8am to 6pm. DO NOT PARK ON THE RESIDENTIAL STREETS. YOU WILL GET TICKETS.

Jordan Road Trailhead has a bigger parking lot and no gate so you can come and go at any time.

Restroom

There is no facility near Soldier Pass Trailhead parking. However, there are restrooms near Jordan Pass Trailhead parking.

Fee

Free if you park at Soldier Pass Trailhead parking.

If you park at Jordan Road Trailhead, it will cost $5 to park unless you have either the Annual National Parks – America the Beautiful or Red Rock pass. You can pay using an automated machine at the trailhead. It only accepts credit cards.

Weather

Distance

From Soldier Pass Trail Trailhead: 4 miles R.T
From Jordan Road Trailhead: 6 miles R.T

Elevation Gain

About 500ft+ depending on if you want to climb on top of the cave or not.

Level

Moderate

Time:

2-4 hours

Pet-friendly

Dog are allowed but they need to be on leashed. We wouldn’t recommend bring your pups though.

Ideal Weather

Falls and Springs are the best seasons to go.

Ideal Time

Early mornings will give you chance to get parking and cooler weather. If you want to park at Soldier Pass trailhead, we have better luck finding parking midday.

Video

The Adventure

Getting There

There are two routes that you can take to the hidden cave on Soldier Pass Trail. Both of these will also take you through the Devil’s Kitchen sinkhole and the beautiful 7 Sacred Pools.

The first route starts at the official Soldier Pass Trail Trailhead. This is the shorter one of the two. It is also harder to find parking here since it is a very small parking lot. This trailhead is only opened from 8 am to 6 pm. The gate will close right at 6 pm, locking in any cars that are still parked there. It is VERY IMPORTANT to note that you CANNOT park just anywhere in the neighborhood. You WILL get a ticket. The two times that we tried to get here at 7:00 am on a weekday, there was already a long line of cars waiting at the gate. We had more luck when we came back around noon, because the people that came at 8 am were ready to leave.

The second route starts at Jordan Road Trailhead. It is a bigger parking lot with no gate. This means getting here earlier to help you chance with getting a spot. From Jordan Road trail, you’ll want to take the Cibola Pass Trail, which will join up with Soldier Pass Trail right before Devil’s Kitchen sinkhole.

Hike to Devil's Kitchen Sinkhole

After grinning ears to ears victoriously because we got the one and only parking spot left, Dustin and I headed toward the trailhead. The trailhead for Soldier Pass trail is tucked to the right of the gated dirt road/jeep trail. You can take the jeep trail, however, it is better and more scenic if you take the actual trail. The trail is quite simple and well-marked. After a short 0.17 miles walk, you’ll get to where Jordan Road Trail meets up with Soldier Pass Trail. There is a wooden sign marking the way. Go left to follow Soldier Pass Trail and you’ll quickly come up to the giant sinkhole on the right-hand side. This giant sinkhole is Devil’s Kitchen. It is a large active sinkhole that collapsed in 1995. This sinkhole is impressive. It’s about 150 feet in length and 50 feet deep.

Stopping By the 7 Sacred Pools

From the junction of Jordan Road Trailhead, it is about 0.4 miles to our next stop, the Seven Sacred Pools. This part of the trail is well-maintained. There are several signs along the way, so you won’t get lost. This part here is also popular among the Jeep tours. Every now and then, you’ll run into them along the trail.

The Seven Sacred Pools are potholes naturally carved out of sandstone. They are fed by a seasonal stream. Depending on when you visit, the pools can either be dry or flowing with water. They look particularly beautiful after some fresh rain and during sunsets. You should be able to climb all the way down to the bottom of the last pool easily to explore.

From 7 Sacred Pools to the Open Mesa

After spending our time at the Seven Sacred Pools, we headed right, and follow the sign to continue on with the Soldier Pass trail. This part of the trail winds through tons of trees and beautiful views of the red rock. About 0.57 miles from the Seven Sacred Pools, you’ll come up to a wooden sign pointing right for Soldier Pass. You’ll want to take this small trail. This is the last directional sign that you will see. The trail can get a bit confusing here.

After a short walk, you’ll come to a split marked by a rock basket. You’ll want to make a right. Keep going until you’ll come up to another fork. At this fork, you’ll see two signs: a Wilderness sign on the right, attached to a tree, and one on the ground on the left that said “Trail.” The trail to the left is the main trail. DO NOT GO LEFT. You’ll want to follow the right trail to go toward the cave. This trail to the right will take you to a short incline before dropping you off at an open mesa. You will be able to see a rock wall in the distance. That is where the cave is.

From the Open Mesa to the Soldier Pass's Cave

From here, you’ll want to stay left when crossing over this open mesa. You should be able to see a small, well-used trail once you cross over. This trail will take you to the base of the arches and cave. It gets quite steep and slippery here. Therefore, make sure to wear good shoes with traction and watch your steps.

Once you get closer, you should be able to spot the two arches, with the left one being more prominent. This one isn’t the way up to the Soldier Pass cave, but it is pretty neat to check out. If you want to climb into the cave, follow a small trail and go to the other cave next to it.

To climb into this cave, there is a small opening on the right-hand side, if you’re facing the wall. This climb can be tricky. There is a tree handrail that you can use for support. It is easier to climb up than down. When we were there, we actually saw some girl that got stuck up there because it was a lot trickier for her to climb back down. Eventually, she made it with the help of multiple people. So, make sure to know your personal limit before climbing into this cave.

Exploring Soldier Pass Trail's Cave

As we were waiting for the girl to finally get down from the cave, we made friends with Collin and Logan, two brothers visiting the area. We all made it up into the cave with no problems. This cave is incredible once we were in it. It’s hard to put into words. that feeling of being inside this surreal place. Be careful when you’re exploring the cave. The area can get slippery with loose soil and uneven footing. The narrow rock ledges and steep drop-off can be quite dangerous.

If you are up for a challenge, you can actually walk (or crawl) on the narrow rock ledges to the back of the cave and climb up to the top of it. We actually didn’t know it was possible until we ran into a few locals that show us the way. Following Collin and Logan, we made our way carefully up the rocky wall. It was actually easier than it looks. Of course, we are a bit more experience in rock scrambling and climbing than some people. Please only do so if you are capable and at your own risk.

The last step was the hardest for me or anyone with limited altitude. If you have someone that can either give you a boost below or a hand above, it is doable. Collin kindly offered a hand to pull me up, which I gladly accepted. If you can get up here, it is 100% worth it. The view is incredible up here. We took a break and hang out with Logan and Collin. Logan treated us to a couple of backflips with the gorgeous view of Sedona as the background.

More Cave Exploring and Getting Back

After some time, Logan and Collin said goodbyes to us and headed back down. We took our time to explore the area and go back down to the cave. At that time, we were the only people in the cave. We couldn’t believe our luck. Eventually, we had to pry ourselves from this beautiful place to head back to our car.

The way back is quite simple, you can just get back the way you came from. We’re super happy that we finally get to do this hike. It was such an incredible experience. That and getting to meet super cool people makes this adventure even more special to us.

If you have more time in Sedona, check out our related posts below for more amazing things to do here!

These are the gear that we personally use and find them helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.

adventure gear

Good hiking shoes are recommended on these adventures. Vy uses the Merrell Women’s Moab 2 hiking boots

Dustin’s shoes are Targhee III Waterproof

There isn’t a lot of shade in the desert. Make sure to use lots of sunscreens! We use eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen, Stream2Sea SPF 30.

Face sunscreen is also important. We love these tinted, organic All Good Organic Sunscreen Butter.

You should always bring plenty of water. Vy loves the Camelback L.U.X.E.

For shorter hikes, the Patagonia Women’s Nine Trails Pack 18L is perfect to hold water and your essentials.

Sedona can get very cold in the winters and springs. We love our packable Patagonia Puff Jackets! You can get Vy’s version here, and Dustin’s version here.