Brainard Lake Recreation Area Timed Tickets
This parking is for those who have *already* purchased an Indian Peaks Wilderness Overnight Permit and does not replace a valid Wilderness permit. Timed tickets for designated overnight parking spaces go on sale at 8:00 am MT / 10:00 a.m. ET February 1 for visitors with Indian Peaks Wilderness Overnight Permits . You must arrive on the entry date, at the entry time, and park in the designated overnight parking area as indicated on your timed ticket. One overnight parking timed ticket per night is required for the vehicle and all occupants. Your ticket(s) must be displayed in your windshield for the duration of your stay. Please note: The upper trailhead parking lots (Long Lake, Mitchell Lake, Niwot) are not scheduled to open until July 1.
The timed ticket(s) purchased for the duration of the backpacking permit will be validated for the length of that permit upon presentation at the Welcome Station. The vehicle must arrive on the entry date, at the entry time, and be parked in the assigned lot in a parking space designated for overnight use. The timed ticket(s) must be displayed in the vehicle windshield.
Please have a printed copy of your timed ticket(s) available to be checked at the Welcome Station, or to be displayed in the windshield of your vehicle.
Recreation.gov is the only valid source for obtaining a timed ticket for accessing Brainard Lake Recreation Area with a vehicle. Tickets are non-transferrable.
Tickets are only available for visitors with a valid Indian Peaks Wilderness Overnight Permit, and must coincide with the dates shown on their permit.