The name is enough to make you want to go. Robbers Roost — an actual outlaw hideout cave in the red rock country above Sedona, reached by a rocky trail through classic Arizona high desert, with framed views of the Sedona cliffs from the cave entrance and deer grazing in the canyon below.

Luca, Matthew, and I hiked here on March 11, 2024 — the day after an event in Cottonwood with the Joels. A morning hike that delivered more than expected — the cave itself, the views, the deer, and Blue Dicks in bloom along the trail.

The Name — Legend More Than History

The cave earns its names from local legend rather than documented historical record — and the research is honest about that distinction. According to the stories passed down in the Sedona area, Robbers Roost served as a hideout for bandits and bootleggers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries — outlaws who appreciated the same qualities any visitor does today: remote location, commanding views in every direction, and natural concealment from anyone approaching from below.

None of it has been proven. No documented historical record confirms that any specific outlaw used this cave. The name Robbers Roost appears on a 1932 film photographed in Sedona — though notably no scenes were actually filmed at the cave itself. The Hideout Cave name reflects the same unverified but entirely plausible legend — a natural alcove in the red rock country of territorial Arizona, invisible from the approach trail until you are nearly upon it, with views that would alert any occupant to approaching law enforcement from miles away. Whether outlaws actually used it or not, it is exactly the kind of place they would have.

There is also an important geographical distinction worth noting — the more famous Robbers Roost in southeastern Utah is a completely separate location. That Robbers Roost — a rugged canyon system in Wayne County — was a documented hideout for Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch gang. The Sedona cave shares the name but not the history.

The Arizona Highways article from 2002 references a stone wall inside the cave that echoes the fortifications of the ancient Sinagua people who once occupied this red rock country — suggesting a pre-outlaw era of human use that predates any territorial-era legend by centuries. The Sinagua connection — the same culture that built the cliff dwellings at Walnut Canyon and Tuzigoot — adds a layer of genuine pre-Columbian history to a site whose outlaw legend remains unverified.

The Access — FR 9530 and Two Parking Options

The trailhead sits at the end of FR 9530. Two options for getting there:

The first option — park at the Robbers Roost Trailhead and walk FR 9530 to the second parking lot before starting the trail. This is what we did — a straightforward approach that adds some road walking to the experience but is accessible to any vehicle.

The second option — if your vehicle is capable of the road conditions, drive FR 9530 directly to the second parking lot at 34°55'51.7"N 111°58'20.0"W. This puts you closer to the trailhead proper and reduces the walking distance to the cave.

On our drive in we passed cows grazing along the road — a reminder that this is working rangeland country as well as recreational terrain.

The Trail

Rocky — the defining characteristic of this hike. The trail surface is uneven and requires attention to footing throughout. Not a technical trail but not a casual walk either — appropriate footwear matters. The elevation and terrain are consistent with the Coconino National Forest red rock transition zone above Sedona — scrubby desert vegetation, rocky slopes, and the red rock formations that define this corner of Arizona.

Along the trail we found Blue Dicks (Dipterostemon capitatus) in bloom — the vivid blue-purple flower clusters on slender stems one of the more striking spring wildflower encounters in this habitat. One corm was harvested for identification examination. See the Blue Dicks entry in the AZ Places Plant and Foraging Guide for full details.

The Cave

The Robbers Roost Hideout Cave sits at 34°55'49.5"N 111°58'04.2"W — a natural cave in the red rock formation used historically as an outlaw hideout in the territorial era of Arizona history. The cave itself is the destination and it delivers — standing inside and looking out through the cave opening frames the Sedona red rock cliffs in a view that would be worth the hike on its own.

Below the cave, a dozen or more deer were grazing in the canyon floor — visible from the cave entrance in a sighting made more remarkable by the elevated perspective. The combination of the framed red rock cliff view and the deer below made the cave entrance one of the finer natural viewpoints on this corner of the Sedona landscape.

Dispersed Camping — FR 258 Buckboard Road

Dispersed camping is available along FR 258 Buckboard Road adjacent to this area — a viable base camp for anyone wanting to spend more time in this corridor. We did not camp on this visit — we were staying with family in Cottonwood during the March 2024 trip — but the dispersed camping option along FR 258 makes this a strong future camping destination combined with the Robbers Roost hike and the Sedona red rock country nearby.