Other hikers are hard to come by on this trail.  Expect easy hiking and a great view once you climb to the fire pit area at the intersection.

Go right to continue up Shepard Creek Trail

The trail starts in the same parking lot as the Bair Canyon trail.  Except right above the large water tank in the parking lot area there is a split in the trail.  Take the right trail here to go on the Shepard Creek Loop trail.  Or, you can head up until you near the entrance to Bair Canyon. The trail will split, the left trail continues in the canyon and the right trail goes up to the Shepard Creek Trail.

The trail can make a large loop or you could easily just hike back the same way you came.  Many people skip over this trail because they simply do not know about it or they want to hike Bair Canyon instead.  This is a great short hike if you want to do something that isn’t too hard, but you will still have a great time doing it.

The trail is narrow for the entire length and quickly gains in elevation.  Once you gain several hundred feet of elevation the trail will cut south and be flat until you come to the small campsite.  This is such a great trail at sunset!

Once you make it to the campsite the trail will continue on to the overlook for Shepard Creek.  If you want to head on down to the parking lot you can hike down the steep trail.

The trail will then cut north until you come to where you began.

Here is the Fire Pit and Campground area.

Keep travelling on the trail until you come to a steep incline and end up at a flat area with a large fire pit and logs nearby. See GPS coordinates for Fire Pit.  You have two options here.  You can either turn right (which leads you to Shepard Creek) or you can turn left and you will turn stay high on the mountain side and then drop back down towards the parking lot.

I usually take the right trail and hike to the Shepard Creek overlook area and then come back to the fire pit then take the route which takes me up around the mountain side and then to the parking lot.

See Canyon Trail Side Trek below.

The Shepard Creek trail is very narrow but clear.  You will pass by several dry wash areas and even a rocky area with a stream going through it.

Keep going and the trail eventually begins to drop down into the Shepard Creek area.  How you know you are there is you will begin to see lots of residential houses below you about 300-400 feet.

You will see sign markers along the way

Once you get back to the fire pit, there is a small trail marker that points you north and the trail drops down in a small valley with many scrub oak and other trees.  And then it climbs back up to the rocky “summit” of the Shepard Creek Loop.

The trail then winds around the mountain and then suddenly the trail drops down close to  two more water tanks, you are now at the start of the Baer Canyon entrance.  Keep going down to the water tank by the parking lot and you are finished.

You should have finished the loop and made a giant circle ending up at the parking lot.

OPTIONAL SIDE TREK

The trail is steep and there isn’t much at the top besides neat white pine trees (on the Baer Canyon side) and some water pipes which funnel water towards the bottom of the canyon.

The trail will eventually steer you into Baer Canyon on the Pine Gulch Trail which you can steeply climb down or come back down the same path you came on.

This Side Trek takes an additional 1-2 hours round trip

GPS: 41° 1’56.31″N, 111°52’52.08″W

Shepard Creek Trail:

Here is where Shepard Creek actually is located.

From the Shepard Creek Overlook the trail begins to go downhill another 1/4 mile and ends up at the base of Shepard Creek.

There are additional trails that connect to this one but this Side Trek is only for the Shepard Creek.

This Side Trek takes an additional 1/2 to 1 hour roundtrip

GPS: 41° 0’53.33″N,111°53’31.98″W

Shepard Creek Overlook