Sheep Creek Trail

Sheep Creek Trail follows Sheep Creek wash along the canyon bottom on the Dixie National Forest side of the Bryce Canyon boundary, passing Swamp Canyon and a backcountry campsite before crossing into the national park near Short Canyon. Past Mud Canyon it picks up dirt fire road 115B, turns east past Pasture Wash and the wooded Noon Canyon, and ends at the Sheep Creek trailhead and parking area off Sheep Creek Flat Road.

What to know

• Backpackers use it mainly as a way to exit the park heading south to north, or to enter from the north without passing through a fee station
• Originally used for moving sheep between grazing areas, hence the name
• Trailhead and lower sections sit on USFS Dixie National Forest land - dogs generally fine and dispersed camping common here, but park rules (no pets, backcountry permits) apply once you cross into Bryce Canyon National Park

This is a working backcountry route more than a scenic day hike - useful for multi-day trips linking the forest and the park's interior trail network.