Sedona's 4 Vortex Sites Explained, Boynton Canyon & How to Find the Secret Subway Cave

Since the late 1970s (when author Page Bryant coined the term here), Sedona has been known worldwide for its 'vortexes': swirling centres of subtle earth energy believed by wellness seekers to aid meditation and creativity, and visibly marked by Utah and alligator-bark juniper trees whose trunks grow in twisted corkscrew spirals. Even if you come purely for the scenery, all four primary vortexes are among the finest geological viewpoints in Arizona.

1. The 4 Main Sedona Vortex Sites

1. Airport Mesa Vortex (Up Airport Road, 5-Minute Walk): an 'upflow' vortex on a red-rock knoll 100 metres from the Airport Mesa Trailhead with a 360-degree panorama.
2. Bell Rock Vortex (Off Highway 179, 15-Minute Walk): a 'balanced / upflow' vortex on the broad lower ledges of Bell Rock.
3. Cathedral Rock / Red Rock Crossing Vortex: an 'inflow' vortex located both up in the Saddle of Cathedral Rock and along the creek bank at Red Rock Crossing.
4. Boynton Canyon Vortex ('Kachina Woman' Spire, 20-Minute Walk): a 'balanced' vortex on the short Boynton Vista Trail (1.1 km round-trip) right below the 100-metre sandstone spire of Kachina Woman overlooking Enchantment Resort.

2. Hiking Boynton Canyon Trail to the Secret Subway Cave (9.8 km Round-Trip | 3 Hours)

Take the Free Sedona Shuttle (Line 12 from Posse Grounds Park & Ride) to the Boynton Canyon Trailhead. After visiting the Boynton Vista Vortex spur on the right at km 0.5, return to the main trail and walk into a lush box canyon of ponderosa pines and red walls:

• How to Find the Unmarked Turnoff to the Subway Cave (At Mile 2.0 / 3.2 km In): because the Subway Cave spur is an unofficial social trail, there is no official sign. Watch closely at the 2.0-mile mark just after the trail enters shady evergreen forest: look for a distinct fork heading right alongside a large alligator-bark juniper tree. Follow that side path for 10 minutes (0.4 miles) to the red cliff base, scramble up an 8-metre sandstone ramp into a slot canyon, and step onto a wave-like horizontal rock tunnel ledge ('The Subway'), with 800-year-old Sinagua cliff ruins 20 metres to the right.