Double bypass loop
pawnee + buchanan passes
Y’all… we have to talk about our trip around the Pawnee-Buchanan Loop!
Absolutely amazing. The photos we took—while beautiful—don’t even begin to capture the wildflower blooms, the epic mountain views, and the sheer magic of this trail. Seriously, every turn and one of us said:
“Are you SERIOUS? Is this real? Holy Sh*t”
This loop is permitted for a reason: it’s popular, protected, and totally worth the hype. From alpine lakes to high passes and lush valleys, the variety keeps it interesting the entire way.
Now, let’s be honest—it’s not exactly a walk🚶🏼♀️in the park. This isn’t the easiest trip out there, but it’s far from the hardest. It’s that sweet spot where the challenge makes the reward feel that much more epic. If you’re moderately experienced and up for a little work, you’ll be just fine.
Final verdict? Highly recommend. 10/10. Would do it again (and again). If this one’s not on your backpacking bucket list yet, go ahead and bump it to the top. You won’t regret it.
So, here are the basic details.
- Total Mileage: About 35 miles – here’s the CalTopo Map!
- Day 1: 16 total miles (Because well, I – Leigh – messed up and started the group on the wrong trail. I’m telling you, the beauty was mind-boggling.)
- About 3.5 Miles from the Gateway parking lot to the Beaver Creek trailhead (we didn’t get parking permits inside Brainard Lake Rec Area – read more below)
- 2 Miles to Mitchell Lake and back
- 8 more miles to Buchanan Pass
- 2.5 more miles to our campsite near Fox Park
- Range 9782′ to 11839′
- Gross: +3506′-3151′
- Day 2: Just over 12 total miles
- 7 miles to Crater Lake Trailhead
- 2.26 more miles to and from Crater Lake
- Range: 10038′ to 10404′
- Gross: +474′-477′
- About 3 more miles to camp at Pawnee Lake
- Range: 8790′ to 10716′
- Gross: +1962′-1667′
- Day 3: 9.5 total miles
- 2 miles to Pawnee Pass
- 4.5 miles to trailhead
- 3 miles to car
- Range: 9944′ to 12542′
- Gross: +2641′-2166′
regarding Permits
So permits are annoying and the Recreation.gov site basically is hard to navigate 🗺️ at times. But here is what you need to know.
As you can see, Indian Peaks Wilderness Area requires permits June 1 through September 15. All of Pawnee Buchanan Loop is within Indian Peaks. And yes, rangers were checking permits!
Permits go on sale the first Tuesday in March each year. You will need to get a zone permit for each night you want to stay in the wilderness. We stayed in Buchanan and Cascade Creek Zones.
Permit Cost in 2025: $11.00 total for whole trip.
Parking is NOT included in this permit. We did not get a permit and had to hike an additional 3 miles in and 3 miles out from the Gateway Trailhead. There are four overnight parking lots where permits are available in the Brainard Recreation Area which you can also get on Recreation.gov.
Parking Permit Cost in 2025:
- Personal Vehicle: $16 a day
- Multi Passenger Vehicle: $38 a day
- Reservation Fee: $2
There is also no permit needed parking at Monarch Lake Trailhead where A LOT of day hikers begin. We decided not to park there because of the wilderness areas where we had permits.
You can find all of this info and more at: https://www.recreation.gov/permits/4675318
And of course, reach out in the comments if you have questions!
Other important info
- Water💧 is plentiful. There was only one section over a couple miles that we had to carry over a liter of water.
- While 🐻 Bear canisters are not required on most of the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, rangers highly recommend that you use certified canisters. After talking to a ranger before the trip and on the trip, they really do not recommend using bags, including Ursacks.
- Camping around Pawnee Lake is busy. I can totally see it being removed from the Cascade Creek area and set as it’s own zone in the future.
- Crater Lake is the hardest area to get, but it’s 💯 percent worth a side trip to hang out and have lunch.
- Take your time, sit under a waterfall, take deep breaths.
