Bear Valley/Willow Creek Trail

Best Time to Hike the Bear Valley/Willow Creek Trail

The trail is generally accessible from Memorial Day through Labor Day, weather permitting. Because the route climbs to a summit crossing at its midpoint before dropping through aspen toward Willow Creek, snow can linger there into late spring. Check current conditions with the Cedar City Ranger District before a fall or late-spring trip, since the summit crossing is the part of the route most affected by lingering snow.

Trail Tips for Bear Valley/Willow Creek Trail

• Managed by the Cedar City Ranger District, Dixie National Forest — not Bryce Canyon National Park, so park-specific rules don't apply here.
• Multi-use trail open to hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding; closed to motorized vehicles.
• No potable water or restroom facilities at the trailhead or along the route; seasonal streams are present but should be filtered before drinking.
• Dogs are generally fine off-leash on this forest trail, unlike the leash and pet restrictions inside the national park to the east.

Reaching the Bear Valley/Willow Creek Trailhead

The trailhead sits in Bear Valley, west of Panguitch, within Dixie National Forest. The listing doesn't specify mile markers or a particular access road for reaching it. The trail itself is a point-to-point connector, climbing from the trailhead to a midpoint summit before descending through aspen to its junction with Trail #036 near the head of Willow Creek, rather than looping back to the start.

What to Expect on the Bear Valley/Willow Creek Trail

Forest Service Trail #32031 crosses a stretch of Dixie National Forest west of Panguitch, connecting the open sage flats of Bear Valley to the Willow Creek drainage. From a trailhead at the edge of a reseeded sage grass valley, the route climbs roughly 240 feet through juniper, mountain mahogany, and scrub oak to a summit at its midpoint. From there it descends through a stand of aspen to meet Trail #036 near the head of Willow Creek. Expect a quiet multi-use route through changing vegetation zones — sage, juniper, mahogany, aspen — rather than a single dramatic viewpoint or destination.