This is our first time to Pawnee CG, at Brainard Lake Recreational Area. The campground sits near Brainard Lake and the South St. Vrain River. Walking from the far side of the campground to the lake takes about 10–15 minutes, and is easier than finding a parking space. Take note that day visitors flood the Recreational area as soon as the gates open. It is hard to find a parking space at the trailheads before the afternoon. Do note that it costs $10 each car, even if you are paying for a campsite.
Sites 1–12 have are in a more open setting, while the rest of the campsite is nestled in pine trees. We stayed in the open area, which allowed us to have a spectacular views of the mountain range and plenty of solar power. Since there were a lot of blown over trees around our site we had both a nesting pair of Blue Birds and Flickers that we were able to watch throughout the day. The Dark-eyed Juncos and White-crowned Sparrows were also feeding their fledglings around the Airstream. There was even a Three-toed Woodpecker!
The sunsets and sunrises are spectacular at Brainard Lake! You can often spot Moose foraging in the willows. A lot of the campers gather around the lakeside to watch the sun go down behind the mountains.
We began from our site, and hiked up and around Long Lake. We located Nywot Cutoff Trail, to the Jean Lunning Trail, and then to the Pawnee Pass Trail. Luckily it was an overcast day, so walking the road all the way back to our site was not to hot. The wildflowers along the Jean Lunning Trail were stunning, and there where many people out admiring this stretch of the hike. Keep your eyes open (and dogs leashed!) for the Moose that are around the lakes. We came across a pair lounging next to the Pawnee Pass Trail. 🙂
We also hiked up to Mitchell Lake. It is an easy, and fast hike. The mosquitos were thick—make sure to bring plenty of potent bug spray.
There are many warning signs around the trail heads. Be aware of all the animals in the area, especially Moose, and remember to keep your dog on a leash. We were told that the Moose think of dogs as Wolves, and they will attack them.
I tried my hand at fly fishing in the lakes, and caught nothing! I’ll blame it on the incredible hatches that occur at sunset—the fish where to full to eat my fly. Ha! The streams, however, were a different story. We caught a total of 8 Brook Trout on a Royal Wolf or Parachute Adams. You can access the South St. Vrain at site #37 (next to the site pole number), or at the damn.
We finally spotted a bear in the campground! Our trail camera took a picture of a Black Bear cruising though the site at 2:49 a.m. He wasn’t a problem since we keep a clean site, and all of our food was put up for the night.
When: Summer, 2015
Altitude: 10,350 ft
Reservation: Pawnee Campground
Site: Level, water to fill containers, non-electric, no dump station
I think this is one of my very favorites in Colorado….plus, it’s close to home. I just LOVE the trails, and the wildflowers are some of the prettiest I have seen. Your comments, and observations are right on. Now…what a surprise about the bear….I am excited that you got that on camera. Great photos. If you camp there again, let me know , it would be fast and easy for me to come up and say hello. Again….wonderful photos, and great observations!
Janel, I have not been camping in Brainard in over 20 years. I had no idea how built up the area has become. I love what they have done to the campground, it’s clean, the sites are large, and the views are amazing.
We were chatting with the camp hosts, and they told us that they have never heard or seen a bear in the campground. I KNEW there was something walking around the night before so I asked Na to set it up next to the camper. We were so excited to see it! A camper in the walk-in campsites said she was awoken by something and thought she saw a bear shadow walk by the the same night (the moon was bright). She told me she thought she was exaggerating. lol
Next time we head up, we will drop you an email. 🙂
Happy Adventures to you!
Sara
Beautiful.
Thanks 🙂
What a beautiful area to Glamp! I’m adding this to my “Must Glamp” list! Thank you for sharing!! Especially love the Bear photos!!
It is a really beautiful area. The bear was exciting to come across when viewing the card in the morning—so exciting!
Happy Glamping to you!
Sara
Hi Sara;
Thanks for sharing and your photography is superb. Looks like a perfect place to spend a month. Like the idea of using a trail camera, must pack that on our next trip.
Love camping with solar power. Just need to make a few improvements in ours.
All the best
Art
Thanks for the comments about the photography, I’ll pass them along to Natasha. 🙂
We also love camping with solar. Did you see our post on solar? Click here We only use the necessities when we are off the grid: lights, pump, and heater. We do not have a converter, which is fine with us. 🙂
Happy adventures to you!
Sara
Thanks so much for the incredible photos and the information on this campground. My wife and I just received our fly fishing equipment and can’t wait to get it wet. The information you provide will be so useful once we find our airstream. Soon… Congratulations on capturing the bear on film. Safe Travels.
Richard
Richard, I’m glad that you enjoyed the post. How exciting that you have new fly fishing equipment! We love to explore the small streams when we go to the mountains. We may get muddy, dirty, and scratched up, but the streams clean us off. 🙂
Once you get your Airstream buy a trail camera, they are fun to look at the following morning.
Happy adventures to you!
Sara