Pawnee in CO -- Campground & RV Camping
Pawnee in CO
CampgroundUSFS
12 mi from Nederland
Official campground & reservations ↗
Road Access
- Road difficulty 4 of 5: a difficult drive in.
- Recorded as maintained for high-clearance vehicles, dirt, pitching to 14%.
Rig fit
- Maximum published vehicle length: 90 ft.
- 7 pull-through sites.
Campground details
Setting
Pawnee Campground sits at 10,350 feet at the foot of the Continental Divide in the Brainard Lake Recreation Area. Set in a forest of spruce and fir, the facility offers single-family sites equipped with picnic tables and campfire rings, alongside vault toilets and drinking water. The sites border 25-acre Brainard Lake, a destination for kayaking and trout fishing. Multiple trailheads branch out directly into the adjacent Indian Peaks Wilderness for hiking, while nearby Left Hand Reservoir and Red Rock Lake provide additional water recreation.
Getting there: From Denver, travel north on Interstate 25 to U.S. Highway 36 West to Boulder. Continue on Colorado Highway 119 (Canyon Boulevard) for 22 miles to Nederland, then go north on Colorado Highway 72 to Ward. Turn left at the sign and travel 5 miles to Brainard Lake Recreation Area.
- Moderately separated here.
- Saint Vrain Mountain stands 2,507 ft above the map pin, 2.3 miles northwest.
- A pond lies 0.1 mi off.
- 8 hike-in sites, with most of them shaded.
- Estimated night sky: Bortle 2, true dark-sky territory.
Climate averages
October normals 29–49°F, 3.0″ precipitation. Monthly averages, PRISM 1991–2020.
Starlink Radar
Open sky · Terrain & buildings · Tree canopy
Estimated horizon in eight compass directions, using 10 m USGS elevation. Sky clearance 42 of 100.