Left Fork Bunker Creek Trail

Left Fork Bunker Creek Trail runs about 3.6 miles from Brian Head Peak at 11,307 feet down toward Panguitch Lake, dropping roughly 3,000 feet along the way. It's part of the Bunker Creek trail system in Dixie National Forest, better known among mountain bikers than hikers, and it's the gentler of the two forks — an easier climb if riding uphill, though less popular as a downhill run than its counterpart.

What's along the route

• Gentle grades past several beaver ponds and through mature aspen stands
• Open, south-facing grass sections that the trail crosses periodically
• Often ridden as part of a loop with North Fork or the Right Fork of Bunker Creek from Sidney Peaks parking

A 2017 wildfire burned over 90 percent of the Bunker Creek trail system, and both forks required rebuilding after subsequent flooding — the current tread was rebuilt in 2020, so expect a mix of recovering forest and open, previously burned terrain. This is Forest Service land, with standard USFS access rules rather than park rules.