Pawnee

Clean site, gorgeous scenery. Nice hosts.

It was very sad to see so many campsites unoccupied and not released for others to reserve on rec.gov. (I saw at least 5 sites that were well beyond the check-in time.) There needs to be a process for camp hosts to release sites for others as soon as the time limit for check-in expires.

Had a nice stay. Bathrooms clean. Close to hiking.

Great campground! Easy access to hiking trails. Nice camp hosts.

Site 32 is a beautiful, spacious site but I'm only giving 3 stars for the following reasons:
-There were continuous groups of hikers coming through the campsite to and from Elk within a few feet of our tent, although the Forest Service had put considerable amount of work into blocking the access. A sign stating: "Trail is Closed", would be helpful.
-I'm local and have been camping at Pawnee for well over 40 years and within the last few years with the current reservation system it is rare that I'm able to reserve a site, EVEN THOUGH ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT AS MANY AS 20% OF THE SITES ARE UNOCCUPIED. There should be a penalty greater than a $10 cancellation fee for no-shows such as not allowing parties that don't show up to reserve a another site for a year.
-At several sites, campers would leave an RV or tent and not occupy the site for several days.
-Although the reservation states a noon check out, the campground hosts would arbitrarily write "11am" checkout on the campsite signpost.
Aside from these issues Brainard remains one of the most beautiful sites in the country.

Nice place. Camp host was helpful.

Everything was great as usual! Our nearest restroom was closed :(

Always a pleasure to be here. Nice to have cold nights during the summer.

What a beautiful spot to camp! First time this year & I was not as prepared for the cold at night. It was down in the 50’s, but a nice change from Denver’s hi-90’s.

I would love to convince you all to go somewhere else so I can have this campsite available again! It was AMAZING.
accessible and short walking distance to the facilities - short enough it wasn’t an inconvenience but far enough away to not be disturbed by any smells or sounds.
Quiet hours were respected at 10pm sharp by other guests. The host was ready and greeted us right at 1pm.
Maybe not the most private spot due to the location on the curve of the road, but by no means were we disturbed by others.
The bear box was spotless, the table and tent pad were free of debris.
We had no concerns leaving our tent pitched with supplies out when we hiked during the late afternoon.
I wish we could have stayed longer, we will try to come back asap if there is availability!

Also, booked a parking spot so we could hike on our last day!! Very important or we wouldn’t have been able to leave our car in the brainard day parking lot.