Trail Improvement Work Begins in the Brainard Lake Recreation Area

Boulder, July 07, 2025 – Crews will begin several improvement projects in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service’s Brainard Lake Recreation Area this summer. Starting in early July, visitors can expect to encounter delays and safety hazards as crews work to realign and build trails. These projects are being completed as part of the Great American Outdoors Act, which helps fund deferred maintenance projects on federal lands.  

Realigning trail segments and new trails will improve year-round visitor access to the entire Brainard area trails system and will remove the need for walking along Brainard Road.  

“Visitors may be inconvenienced during times of construction, but the intent is to improve the visitor experience at Brainard and increase year-round trail opportunities that minimize user conflicts,” said Boulder District Ranger Kevin McLaughlin. 

The trail realignment project aims to create intuitive trail junctions and improve the grade on various sections of the Waldrop Trail. Similar work on the Little Raven Trail might also begin this year to connect extensions and reduce the number of confusing intersections. There are no official closures in place this summer, however heavy equipment could pose a safety hazard for visitors on the Waldrop and Little Raven Trails. Visitors might encounter brief delays which allow trail crews to operate heavy equipment safely. Visitors should respect delays and exercise caution around heavy equipment during the weekdays.  

In September, crews will begin work on installing an accessible trail on the southern and western portions of Brainard Lake. Currently, people follow social trails along the southern portion of the lake to access different trailheads. During the early season, when water levels are high, people walk on these social trails and damage the vegetation along the lake. This new trail will provide a sustainable path for people to avoid walking on the roads, improve accessibility, and help prevent resource damage around the lake.  

Brainard Lake Recreation Area will continue to undergo construction and improvements in the coming years. Some of these projects, such as reconstruction of the Niwot and Arickaree Picnic Areas and the reconstruction of the Brainard Lake road will require closures or delays in the future. Future communications and project updates will be posted on the Arapaho Roosevelt Pawnee website www.fs.usda.gov/r02/arp.  

Find a map of the current trails on the Brainard Seasonal Information page.