Subway Cave Trail Preview

Should you hike Subway Cave? What the film settles

Most of the hike is easy. The last ten minutes are not, and they are not signed.

Most of the film is an easy canyon walk. For the first fifty minutes the route is the Boynton Canyon Trail: the wide lower trail, the resort fence from 16:30, a short rocky stretch at 21:50, then shaded canyon floor with little climbing from 33:20. The grade picks up under the cliffs around 50:00.

The turnoff is the spot people miss. At 53:45 an unsigned use trail leaves the main Boynton Canyon Trail. There is no sign and no marker, which is why so many hikers walk straight past it. Watch that minute twice; the guide covers the Subway Cave: unsigned, steep at the end, and a ruin you do not touch.

The ramp is the one place to think about. From 55:00 the route climbs steep, bare slickrock where your hands are useful, and reaches the cave at 1:01:40. It is short, but it is the steepest footing of the day and the place people hesitate on the way down. If it looks wrong for anyone in your group, the canyon walk alone is a good hike.

It is a ruin site. The alcove holds the remains of ancestral Sinagua dwellings. The Forest Service asks visitors to stay off the walls and out of the ruins; read a canyon with a cultural layer before you go.

Skip the ramp if steep bare rock or heights unsettle you, the rock is wet, or your shoes are smooth. Difficulty, dimension by dimension

What the full film shows, chapter by chapter

Timestamps read from the full 1:04:00 film. Owners can jump straight to any chapter.

1. 0:00 Boynton Canyon trailhead The kiosk; about 4,540 ft.
2. 5:50 The wide lower trail Easy walking toward the canyon mouth (0.2–0.5 mi).
3. 16:30 Along the resort fence The trail follows the Enchantment boundary fence (0.7 mi, about 4,630 ft).
4. 21:50 Rocky stretch past the fence Loose rock underfoot for a few minutes (0.9 mi).
5. 27:10 Into the canyon The walls close in and the trail turns up-canyon (1.1 mi).
6. 33:20 The canyon floor Shaded forest, soft trail, little gain (1.4 mi, about 4,620 ft).
7. 50:00 Climbing toward the turnoff The grade picks up under the cliffs (2.2 mi, about 4,780 ft).
8. 53:45 The unmarked turnoff The use trail leaves the main Boynton Canyon Trail at about 2.3 mi and 4,790 ft — the spot people miss.
9. 55:00 The slickrock ramp Steep bare rock with hands useful (2.4 mi, about 4,850 ft).
10. 1:01:40 Inside the Subway Cave The tunnel-shaped alcove at about 5,080 ft (2.6–2.8 mi).
11. 1:03:45 The view from the cave mouth The film ends here; the return walk is not shown.

Not in the film: the climb back down the ramp and the walk out.

Planning the real hike? Read the full Subway Cave trail guide for difficulty, parking, permits and route-finding details.