Brainard Lake Recreation Area

Pawnee Campground gets you on the trails early, and is great for enjoying the beautiful views of Indian Peaks Wilderness.

We love Brainard. The campground is clean, spacious, and there are beautiful trails to ride your bikes, fly kites, read, hike, fish. Some campsites are a little close, but if you pick a good spot you have great seclusion. It’s such a relaxing spot and we love how easy it is to get to from town.

This is a scenic area but many of the campsites are not very good because so many dead trees were removed that there’s no shade or privacy at those campsites. The best campsites with some shade and privacy are 13, 14, 32, 35, 37 and 39.

This is a wonderful area to explore from Boulder, although the construction on the road up the canyon makes for a slow trip. Plus there can be a wait at the gate, which is regulated to make sure the parking areas don’t overflow. You can’t make reservations like up at Rocky Mountain NP. Here we arrived about 11 am and were directed to the Day Use Parking Area near the east end of Brainard Lake. I’m sure it’s more crowded on weekends. It worked fine for us. We walked by Brainard Lake and then up around Long Lake, about 6 miles altogether. There were lots of other people, but it didn’t seem overcrowded. Nearly everyone on the trail was wearing masks, or pulled them up as they passed others. The views are absolutely breathtaking, as was the altitude (10,600’). There’s also camping at Pawnee, but reservations are hard to come by, and having a reservation doesn’t save you from waiting in line.

Absolutely gorgeous campsite up Boulder Canyon. The atmosphere was serene, the weather was gorgeous (early July), and the campsites were well-maintained. Picnic tables and fire rings included. Some reservable sites have electric hook ups. Phenomenal camping experience all around.

Although not part of the National Park, this beautiful Rec Area shares a large border with one and your Parks Pass will grant your admission. Once inside the park, there are several parking lots and established picnic areas where one can take in the view and perhaps glimpse some elusive wildlife, including Colorado moose.

Trails from the upper parking areas run deep into the park and even have access to the south side of RMNP. There are no 14er's here, but some trails will take you atop 12 and 13 thousand foot peaks. Others follow the glacial streams and lakes uphill to their sources at the foot of the continental divide.

Pawnee campground is first come first serve, but this is also a great day trip spot, as it is closer to Boulder and Denver than Rocky Mountain. Best to get there early: upper lots fill up around 7 a.m. on the weekends and thunderstorms frequently roll in early in the summer afternoons.

This is one of my favorite spots. There are lots of trails nearby, beautiful views everywhere, lots of moose and wildlife in general, and huge pine trees. The road is closed for a good chunk of the year so make sure you check their website for closures!

Beautiful, quiet and lots of wildlife.