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Indian Peaks Wilderness · Colorado

Pawnee–Buchanan Pass Loop

A difficult three-night circuit from Long Lake Trailhead → Long Lake Trailhead, crossing Pawnee Pass first and returning over Buchanan Pass and Beaver Creek. Cascade Creek, Buchanan, and Coney Creek must all align; Long Lake vehicle access is separate.

Clockwise via Pawnee Pass, Cascade Creek, Buchanan Pass, and Beaver Creek

Read the three nights The permit on Recreation.gov

The shape of it

Pawnee first; Buchanan on the return

Elevation profile of the Pawnee-first Pawnee–Buchanan Loop showing Pawnee Pass at 12,541 feet, Buchanan Pass at 11,837 feet, and representative route points inside the Cascade Creek, Buchanan, and Coney Creek permit zones. Night 1 permit location at mile 8.96 Night 2 permit location at mile 14.56 Night 3 permit location at mile 19.43
Hiking Project complete-loop elevation samples reversed into the published Pawnee-first direction and downsampled at approximately quarter-mile intervals. Squares mark representative route points inside the official permit zones, not prescribed campsites; vertical scale is normalized and the graphic is not field navigation.

  1. First pass · mile 4.52

    Pawnee Pass 12,541 ft The route high point comes first, above Lake Isabelle, before the west-side descent into Cascade Creek.

  2. Second pass · mile 17.06

    Buchanan Pass 11,837 ft The return divide crossing leaves the Buchanan drainage for Coney Creek on the east side.
  1. Long Lake Trailhead Exact catalog entry
  2. Lake Isabelle Pawnee Pass Trail corridor
  3. Pawnee Pass 12,541 ft · divide crossing 1
  4. Cascade Creek Zone Night 1 · watched
  5. Buchanan Zone Night 2 · watched
  6. Buchanan Pass 11,837 ft · divide crossing 2
  7. Coney Creek Zone Night 3 · watched
  8. Mitchell / Beaver Creek trailhead Intermediate return portal
  9. Long Lake Trailhead Exact catalog exit
Route length
≈26.5 miles
Total climbing
≈6,600 ft gain
High point
12,541 ft
This watch
3 permit zones
This itinerary
3 nights / 4 trail days

This exact clockwise trip leaves Long Lake for Pawnee Pass, descends through Cascade Creek, crosses Buchanan Pass back east, and returns by Coney Creek and Beaver Creek. The named sequence—not the clockwise label alone—defines the route.

From Long Lake Trailhead, Pawnee Pass Trail follows the Long Lake and Lake Isabelle corridor to 12,541-foot Pawnee Pass. Continue west on the Cascade Creek side for Night 1 inside the Cascade Creek permit zone, then follow the Cascade Creek–Buchanan corridor to Night 2 inside the Buchanan zone.

Cross 11,837-foot Buchanan Pass eastbound, place Night 3 inside the Coney Creek zone, and use Beaver Creek Trail toward the Mitchell/Beaver Creek trailhead area. A developed-area connection closes the circuit at Long Lake Trailhead; Mitchell/Beaver Creek remains an intermediate portal, not a replacement endpoint.

Night by night

The exact three-zone sequence

This Pawnee-first itinerary requires Cascade Creek, Buchanan, and Coney Creek on consecutive dates. All three permit zones must align for the saved start date and party size across the full-season and three-day-ahead pools.

  1. N1

    Cascade Creek Zone

    West of Pawnee Pass · advance reservation

    Leave Long Lake through the Lake Isabelle corridor, cross 12,541-foot Pawnee Pass, and continue west into the reserved Cascade Creek backcountry zone for the first camping night.

    Over
    Pawnee Pass
    Camp elevation
    Varies by camp
    Water
    Treat natural sources

    On the ground. Snow often remains on the Pawnee Pass climb late into summer. Confirm current conditions and camp inside Cascade Creek on the exact first-night date.

  2. N2

    Buchanan Zone

    Buchanan drainage · advance reservation

    Follow the Cascade Creek–Buchanan corridor into the reserved Buchanan zone. The second night has no same-night substitute or alternative zone in this fixed watch pattern.

    Over
    Cascade Creek corridor
    Camp elevation
    Varies by camp
    Water
    Treat natural sources

    On the ground. A permit authorizes camping inside the named zone, not a numbered pad or exact coordinate. Use durable ground and follow current distance rules.

  3. N3

    Coney Creek Zone

    East of Buchanan Pass · advance reservation

    Cross 11,837-foot Buchanan Pass eastbound and place the third camping night inside Coney Creek before returning by Beaver Creek toward the Long Lake endpoint.

    Over
    Buchanan Pass
    Camp elevation
    Varies by camp
    Water
    Treat natural sources

    On the ground. Coney Creek is the required third-night zone. Four Lakes is not a substitute, and its current seasonal closure overlaps the permit season.

The permit

How this Indian Peaks permit actually works

This watch combines the full-season and three-day-ahead Indian Peaks Wilderness overnight permit pools for the same saved zones. Permit inventory, Brainard vehicle access, and live conditions remain separate.

One exact three-zone itinerary
Cascade Creek, Buchanan, and Coney Creek must all be available on consecutive dates for the same saved start date and party size.
June 1 through September 15
Current guidance requires an overnight permit for every backcountry zone used for camping during the permit season.
Watch range one through twelve
Wild Chime selects the Recreation.gov individual permit option for one through seven people and the group permit option for eight through twelve.
Zones, not reserved pads
The three nights are dispersed backcountry permit zones. A matching zone-date does not reserve a campsite coordinate.
Two permit pools, one saved zone
This watch evaluates the full-season and three-day-ahead Recreation.gov permit pools independently, then links an opening to the permit pool where it appeared.
Long Lake access is separate
Driving to the upper Long Lake lot requires a separate overnight vehicle ticket aligned with the wilderness permit dates.
Cancellation is not predictable
Recreation.gov asks holders to cancel before printing so dates can return, without promising an immediate or scheduled inventory return.

Primary planning intent

Pawnee–Buchanan permit-order answers.

Three different permit areas must align with the loop’s Pawnee-first direction and the separate Long Lake access plan.

What is the exact overnight order?

Reserve Cascade Creek for Night 1, Buchanan for Night 2, and Coney Creek for Night 3. The order follows Pawnee Pass first and Buchanan Pass on the return.

Indian Peaks Wilderness map

Does the backpacking permit include Long Lake parking?

No. Long Lake is inside Brainard Lake Recreation Area, whose vehicle-entry reservation is separate. Verify the current overnight-access ticket before departure.

Overnight — Long Lake

Hard-won

Worth knowing before you go

The permit options, zone sequence, and access details that matter before the Long Lake start.

Snow

Late snow is normal

The Pawnee Pass authority warns that snow often remains late into summer. Make decisions from current evidence, not permit dates.

Weather

Exposure changes quickly

Thunder, wind, cold, hail, snow, and low oxygen remain material. No fixed start time guarantees safe divide crossings.

Zones

Three dates must align

One or two available zones do not complete this trip. Each named zone belongs on its exact consecutive itinerary date.

Access

Book Long Lake separately

A wilderness permit does not include upper-trailhead vehicle access, and a vehicle ticket does not replace the permit.

Inventory

Do not merge releases

The full-season permit, three-day permit, and Brainard vehicle ticket are separate reservations with distinct inventory.

Water

Treat natural sources

A mapped stream or lake is not a promise of current flow, access, or safety. Carry an independent treatment plan.

Questions

Pawnee–Buchanan, asked and answered

Which direction does this exact loop use?

Pawnee Pass comes first, followed by Cascade Creek, the Buchanan drainage and Buchanan Pass, then Coney Creek and Beaver Creek.

Must all three zone openings align?

Yes. Cascade Creek, Buchanan, and Coney Creek must line up on consecutive dates for the saved start date and party size.

Are the three nights designated campsites?

No. They are dispersed backcountry zones rather than numbered or reserved pads. Camp inside the permitted zone on its exact date.

Does this watch cover the three-day permit option?

Yes. It watches the matching full-season and three-day-ahead permit pools independently for each saved zone.

Is the wilderness permit enough to park at Long Lake?

No. Upper-lot motor-vehicle access uses a separate Long Lake overnight ticket that must coincide with the wilderness permit.

Can Night 3 move into the Four Lakes zone?

No. This fixed itinerary places Night 3 in Coney Creek. Four Lakes is a different zone with a current seasonal closure.

Keep the intent distinct

More trips in Indian Peaks Wilderness.

Compare exact permit-night orders rather than substituting a nearby route or reversing the dates.

Exact-trip availability

Watch Pawnee–Buchanan Pass Loop.

Start with this exact direction, overnight order, and the permit locations that fit the saved party. Wild Chime reports qualifying openings; it never books or holds them.

Create this trip’s watch

For this exact direction and three-night permit order.

Review the current permit on Recreation.gov