Pawnee Campground

Wonderful campground though not all sites are created equal - some are fully exposed (ie no tree canopy) and are very close to each other. I would highly recommend reserving the walk-in sites as the are more secluded and surrounded by trees.

The area around the campground is beautiful, and chock-full of hiking trails. Wildlife can often be spotted, whether a fox crossing the road, or a moose drinking water by Brainard Lake.

This might be the nicest campground in Colorado, at least in the loop that did not suffer the blow down from high winds. The campground itself is all newly redone. Sites are huge and clean with a bear box in each site. Accommodations from walk in tent sites to sites that have a 75 foot long parking spot. It is only a few hundred yards to Brainard Lake and the jewel that is the Indian Peaks Wilderness just past that. There is near endless hiking here with pristine alpine lakes and even access to the continental divide. You can't go wrong.

The staff was so friendly and helped us get paid and oriented. Our site was quiet and clean and the previous campers left us some firewood. They did not sell any wood at the campground so pick some up in Ward. Access to Brainard Lake and the lakes beyond for hiking was the highlight for us.