3 Days Ahead Gear Checklist
The Indian Peaks Wilderness covers 17 backcountry zones west of Boulder, and its overnight trips are mostly high passes, afternoon thunderstorms, moose and crowded trailheads. The hikers we read on the popular Pawnee and Buchanan pass loop brought rain shells and puffy jackets they actually wore, a way to keep food dry, a stove, and a printed or saved permit. The ones who skipped waterproofing or a plan for campsites had the hardest days.
What shapes your gear on Indian Peaks Wilderness
- Permit window
- Overnight permits are required from June 1 to September 15, one for each backcountry zone you camp in. The wilderness has 17 zones, each with a nightly quota. A local alliance says 25 percent of the quota is held back and released three days ahead at 8:00 a.m. Mountain time.
From Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests (USFS) and Indian Peaks Wilderness Alliance
- Parking
- The overnight permit does not cover parking. The Forest Service lists separate overnight timed-entry reservations for Brainard Lake's Long Lake and Mitchell Lake trailheads, and the Brainard Gateway trailhead is open year-round with day and overnight parking. A 2022 hiker skipped the reservation, parked at the gateway and added about three miles to the walk.
From Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests (USFS) and The Earnest Voyager
- Weather on the passes
- Afternoon storms are the main hazard. A 2018 hiker and a 2022 pair both met thunder and heavy rain on the first day near Buchanan Pass. One write-up gives the Pawnee and Buchanan loop's high point as 12,550 feet.
From Hilary Hikes, The Earnest Voyager and Mad Hippies Life
- Fires
- The alliance says campfires are prohibited in most of the wilderness, including all areas east of the Continental Divide, so trips cook on a stove.
- Snow
- One long-time local writer says to wait until after the first week of July for high passes because snow lingers, and notes that the Indian Peaks get a lot of it.
From Mad Hippies Life
What the agency requires on Indian Peaks Wilderness
An overnight permit for each zone you sleep in
From June 1 to September 15 every group camping in the wilderness needs a permit for each backcountry zone, bought through Recreation.gov either for the full season in advance or three days in advance. Groups of 8 to 12 need one too, and the maximum group size is 12 including pack stock.
A bear canister near trailheads and in two zones
The Forest Service requires canisters all year around the trailheads, and across both the Diamond Lake and Jasper Lake zones. It recommends them in the rest of the wilderness.
What hikers carry on Indian Peaks Wilderness
A waterproof shell and rain pants, plus dry clothes to change into
A 2018 hiker was soaked through by hours of rain below Buchanan Pass despite her jacket and pants, then changed into dry layers and stayed below treeline for the night to avoid hypothermia and lightning. A 2022 pair also went from sweating to pulling on down jackets when hail hit.
From Hilary Hikes and The Earnest Voyager
A bear canister, used partly to keep food dry
The 2018 hiker says a canister was not required where she camped and a hang would have worked, but she valued it for keeping all her food dry in the rain. A 2022 pair hung a bear bag in the dark. The Forest Service requires canisters in two zones and near trailheads.
From Hilary Hikes, The Earnest Voyager and Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests (USFS)
A stove and fuel
Campfires are prohibited in most of the wilderness, and cold dawns on the cirque side were met with coffee on a camp stove and a headlamp.
From Indian Peaks Wilderness Alliance, Mad Hippies Life and Hilary Hikes
A warm sleeping bag and a puffy jacket
The 2018 hiker packed a down bag good to zero degrees and a lightweight puffy coat for a summer trip, and the alliance warns that weather above 10,000 feet can turn within minutes.
A waterproof topographic map and compass
The alliance calls them the fail-safe, and the 2022 pair says the trail is easy to lose in places with downed trees and few campsites.
From Indian Peaks Wilderness Alliance, The Earnest Voyager and Hilary Hikes
Water treatment
The 2018 hiker carried iodine tablets, and the 2022 pair found water at a stream near their Fox Park camp. The 2018 hiker says the trail follows a river for the rest of the second day.
From Hilary Hikes and The Earnest Voyager
Camp sandals
The 2018 hiker wore minimalist sandals in camp and in the water, and another party soaked their feet in the creek at the Cascade Creek junction.
From Hilary Hikes and Mad Hippies Life
Your permit on the outside of the pack
The 2018 hiker kept her permit visible on her pack by day and outside her tent at night. The alliance says to carry the actual permit, printed or electronic, not just the email.
12 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Indian Peaks Wilderness
A hammock
The 2022 pair carried one but never used it because their days were long and it rained and stormed.
From The Earnest Voyager
No plan for flat, watered campsites
The 2022 hikers say this was the hardest campsite search of their trips, with slope, marsh and blowdown. They suggest plotting known sites and keeping a backup.
From The Earnest Voyager
Trekking poles on the rockslide
At the Pawnee Pass rockslide a volunteer ranger advised dropping the poles and going hand over foot, which one hiker found comparable to Class 3 climbing.
From The Earnest Voyager
Gear questions for Indian Peaks Wilderness
Do you need a bear canister in the Indian Peaks Wilderness?
Around the trailheads and across the Diamond Lake and Jasper Lake zones, yes. The Forest Service recommends them everywhere else. A 2018 hiker on the Pawnee loop said a hang would have worked there but valued the canister for keeping food dry.
From Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests (USFS) and Hilary Hikes
How do you get an Indian Peaks Wilderness permit three days in advance?
Permits are sold on Recreation.gov, and a local alliance says 25 percent of the quota is held for release three days ahead at 8:00 a.m. Mountain time. A 2018 blog describes buying permits from the ranger district, which no longer matches the Forest Service's Recreation.gov page.
From Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests (USFS), Indian Peaks Wilderness Alliance and Hilary Hikes
Can you have a campfire in the Indian Peaks Wilderness?
Not in most of it. The alliance says campfires are prohibited in most of the wilderness, including everywhere east of the Continental Divide, so bring a stove.
Does the Indian Peaks Wilderness permit include trailhead parking?
No. The 2022 Pawnee loop hikers learned the overnight permit does not cover parking, and the Forest Service lists overnight timed-entry reservations for the Brainard Lake trailheads as a separate purchase.
From The Earnest Voyager and Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests (USFS)
Sources
- Indian Peaks Wilderness · Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests (USFS) · Agency
- Ready for Your First Backcountry Night? A Guide to Backpacking the Indian Peaks Wilderness · Indian Peaks Wilderness Alliance · Blog
- Trip Report: Backpacking the Pawnee-Buchanan Pass Loop in Indian Peaks Wilderness · Hilary Hikes, Hilary Terrell · Trip report
- Pawnee-Buchanan Loop Backpacking · The Earnest Voyager · Trip report
- Pawnee Buchanan Loop, Indian Peaks Wilderness · Mad Hippies Life · Blog