Sheep Creek Connecting Trail

Sheep Creek Connecting Trail drops from the Swamp Canyon Trailhead, about 5 miles south of the Bryce Canyon visitor center, down to the park's backcountry network. From the trailhead pullout, the route splits from the Swamp Canyon Connecting Trail and heads north through forest, circling a prominent butte before descending off the rim into the Sheep Creek drainage. It passes a scattering of hoodoos and crosses a wooded canyon before reaching a four-way junction with the Under-the-Rim Trail and the Sheep Creek Trail at the canyon bottom — a route once used for moving grazing sheep between pastures, hence the name.

Good to know

• About 2.6 miles one-way, with roughly 780 feet of elevation gain northbound
• Managed by the National Park Service inside Bryce Canyon National Park
• Day hiking requires no permit; overnight stays at the Sheep Creek campsite require a backcountry permit
• Pets are not permitted, consistent with park rules on the Under-the-Rim network

Traffic is light compared to the rim trails, and this is genuine backcountry travel — carry water and a map, since trail junctions near Sheep Creek have washed out in past heavy rains.