Park
Brainard Lake Recreation Area
Forest Service recreation area around Brainard Lake at 10,600 feet, with trailheads into the Indian Peaks Wilderness. A timed-entry reservation is needed to park inside in summer.
The Forest Service’s Boulder Ranger District runs Brainard Lake Recreation Area, a glacier-carved valley at 10,600 feet with picnic tables, Pawnee Campground and trailheads such as Long Lake and Mitchell Lake that lead west into the Indian Peaks Wilderness. From Colorado Highway 72 at Ward it is 2.5 miles up Brainard Lake Road to Brainard Gateway Trailhead and two miles more to the lake. The Forest Service notes that snow typically stays until July.
In summer a timed-entry reservation from recreation.gov is needed to park inside the area; senior, access and annual pass holders get a discount but still need a reservation. Walking or biking in from the Gateway Trailhead needs no reservation but carries a $10 day-use fee. In winter the Gateway Trailhead is the parking for the area’s cross-country ski and snowshoe trails.
Dogs must be on a hand-held leash from May 1 to November 14; from November 15 to April 30 they are limited to a few designated routes, listed on the Forest Service pages. Target shooting is closed year-round. Seasonal rules and reservation links are on the Forest Service’s seasonal information page (https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/arp/recreation/brainard-lake-recreation-area-seasonal-information).
At a glance indian peaks · hiking · timed entry · skiing
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Checked by [FIRST NAME], October 6, 2026 against fs.usda.gov. Hours and phone numbers change fastest, so the business’s own page is the record. Report a correction · Know something opening or closing? Tell us
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