Pawnee

The Elk loop is meadow like and has wonderful views. Site 6 is across from the camp host and fairly close to the pit toilet. The toilet is well maintained and not smelly. Note, if you plan to go to other parking areas you will need to get a timed pass. Overall excellent experience.

Absolutely nothing wrong with the campground, gorgeous and well-kept.

Issues arose with check out time - Rec.Gov says “12pm”, but camp hosts came around about 11am and were pushing us to leave, stating that we were supposed to be out at 11am. Not sure which one is accurate, but heads up.

Additionally - Pawnee Campground DOES NOT INCLUDE parking for any of the lots - pretty annoying/frustrating when your group isn’t prepped for that. Each person checking passes did not even explain the “why” but instead got defensive/passive aggressive when we were confused.

All and all, it means if you are planning on hiking from any of the other trail heads (Mitchell, Long Lake, etc.) you will need to plan on walking there. Same goes for Brainard Lake, if you’re going to paddle board or anything, plan on lugging that thing up to the lake by foot.

Last note: We did finally find out that the upper trailhead roads are CLOSED until July 1st, so there was no way for us to even get a pass to hike up there.

Hope this helps someone else have a more prepped and better experience than us.

Absolutely loved our weekend at Pawnee. The sites are beautiful, the bathrooms are super clean and the camp hosts are wonderful and very helpful. Lots to do in the park too.

Pawnee Campground is a nice recreational area and camping area. High elevation (10,300) for flat landers!
We stay in the Walk In sites and prefer those over the RV sites. It is quiet, not crowded, sites are nicely dispersed and the river is close by. It's an easy 10 minute walk over to Brainard Lake.

It was an awesome stay

Great campground. Very clean!! Amazing views and trails. Definitely coming back

I had a great time here, the campground and campsite were very well maintained and kept, and the bathrooms were very clean for what they are! It seems very popular with RV campers so be prepared for generator noise (which I heard) but luckily the forest we're in helps to dampen the noise.

What a great campground! We were in the Moose loop. So much great privacy between spots. Beautiful setting! I’ll be back!

Beautiful campground, close proximitry to Brainard Lake. Most sites are generously sized and relatively private. Camp tables are oversized. Generators are still sadly used by a number of larger RV vehicles, disturbing the pristine quiet of this location.

We loved camping here! We were very surprised that our site did have trees and privacy after hearing from others that the Elk loop was bare from beetle kill. Lots of sites are bare, but this one is on the edge close to the Moose loop so plenty of trees. We did have to wait at the entrance gate until almost exactly our check in time at 2:00, but that was ok. Also, rec.gov had the check in and out times incorrect which was confusing, but the flexible and friendly campground hosts allowed us to finish our morning hike, giving us until noon to check out and into our second site (regular check out is 11:00). Something else surprising, the hosts said they often have same day availability due to cancellations and people who leave earlier than expected. Not sure I would take a chance and come up just for that, but it could extend your stay. So wonderful to walk to the trails and there are many to choose from from. The restrooms are super clean, although not as many and as closely spaced as usual, but it wasn't a problem. We were so happy to make reservations on cancellations as it is super hard to get a spot here. We will try again in the future! Such a gorgeous place.