As you know if you’ve followed me for a while, my to-do list of Colorado hikes seems to constantly get longer rather than shorter. Some of these hikes in particular have been on my list for years and we’ve just never gotten around to them. So at the beginning of last summer, I made a list of hikes I wanted to prioritize. Pawnee Pass was one of them.
(For anyone wondering, there were seven hikes on the list and we still only managed to check off three of them.)
Pawnee Pass sits on the Continental Divide in the heart of the Indian Peaks Wilderness. We have done a lot of hiking in the Indian Peaks, so we’d looked up at Pawnee Pass on numerous occasions – as recently as the previous weekend. Now, it was finally time to stand on it.
The pass can be reached from both sides of the mountains, though the approach from the west is long enough to warrant an overnight backpacking trip. We began on the east, entering through Brainard Lake Recreation Area (timed-entry parking reservation and fee required) and parking at Niwot Picnic Area. It’s actually a shorter hike if you start at Long Lake, but our plans were too last-minute to get a Long Lake parking reservation. Starting at Niwot only adds about 1 mile (1.6 km) roundtrip to the total distance, so it wasn’t too big a deal.
The Niwot Cutoff Trail opens up at the east end of Long Lake, where it intersects with the Jean Lunning Trail that encircles the lake. While you can go either direction, it’s shorter to stay right, crossing the creek on a bridge and then turning left along the lakeshore. The trail is mostly flat as it undulates along the shore, before eventually curving away slightly and beginning to climb toward Lake Isabelle.
We have made previous trips to Lake Isabelle, but this would be my husband’s first time continuing beyond.
Lake Isabelle is actually a reservoir and is often drained in late summer to provide water for the cities below. Although it was only mid-August, we arrived to find water levels already somewhat low. That was a bit disappointing, but we’ve seen the lake at full capacity before so I suppose it didn’t really matter.
Just as Lake Isabelle comes into view, the trail forks. For Pawnee Pass, stay right. The trail immediately begins to climb up and around, leaving the lake behind before curving back toward the edge, now a good distance above. The trail was rocky and steep in places, but overall not much different from the average Colorado trail.
Eventually, the trail popped us out on top of the ridge, where we could now see a few smaller lakes in the valley to our north. We still couldn’t quite see Pawnee Pass, but we could at least see where we were headed.
It was a steady climb to the pass from here, and much of the terrain is talus. There’s a decent trail through it, though, and it’s easy to follow. It’s just rocky. A few late summer wildflowers were blooming, and despite it being mid-August and still very much summer on the plains, the tundra was already beginning to glow with the golds and reds of autumn.
Pawnee Pass itself is wider and flatter than I expected. To see over and down the other side, we actually had to follow the trail up and over the pass a bit. The trail drops down to Pawnee Lake, which we hiked to the previous weekend. It was fun to see it from above, knowing that just seven days earlier we were sitting on the shore.
From above, we could also see that the lake was much larger than we thought.
After half an hour at the pass, we began to retrace our steps back to the car. It was a fairly uneventful descent. We didn’t see many people until we returned to Lake Isabelle; from there, we encountered dozens of hikers heading up to the lake. It’s a popular destination.
We were back to the car shortly after noon and home by mid-afternoon, glad to finally be able to check this one off the to-do list. This was also the only remaining trail at Brainard that I hadn’t hiked, so I had double the reason to celebrate.
And, for the first time ever on a visit to Brainard Lake Recreation Area, we didn’t see a single moose!
Up next: (hand)standing on the highest point in Utah!
The Important Stuff:
- Getting there: the most direct route to Pawnee Pass from the east begins at Long Lake Trailhead in Brainard Lake Recreation Area. If no parking permits (see below) for Long Lake are available, you can also start from Niwot or Brainard Lake parking areas, though it will be a longer hike.
- Fees and passes: Entry to Brainard Lake Recreation Area for this hike requires (1) advance purchase of a timed-entry parking reservation for either Long Lake, Niwot, or Brainard Lake and (2) a $12/car entrance fee or America the Beautiful pass. Be sure to download, screenshot, or print your reservations and passes in advance; there is no service at the trailhead.
- Hiking: From Long Lake trailhead, roundtrip distance is 9.6 miles (17 km) with 2135 feet (710 m) of elevation gain. Most of the gain is in the second half of the hike. From Niwot, add 1 mile (1.6 km) and 200 feet (60 m). From Brainard Lake, add 2 miles (3.2 km) and about 230 feet (70 m). We weren’t able to obtain a parking permit for Long Lake, so we started at Niwot.
- Where to stay: There is only one campground in the rec area that must be reserved in advance. Backpacking is not allowed on the east side of Pawnee Pass, but with appropriate permits you can climb up and over the past and spend the night on the west side. Otherwise, this is an easy day hike from the northern Front Range.
- Other: The second half of this hike is above treeline and very exposed, so be sure to start early and be prepared to turn around in case of incoming storms. If you’re backpacking and planning to go up and over the pass, know that descending the west side is steep and rocky, and will likely be very slow going.
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