Pawnee Lake is located west of the Continental Divide in a steep-walled valley below Pawnee Pass. The east-west route from Brainard Lake is highlighted by Long Lake, Lake Isabelle, Pawnee Pass and four miles of spectacular travel above treeline.

Bistort is in the Buckwheat family, a common alpine flower that favors damp soil near lakes and streams

Looking down the west side of Pawnee Pass at Pawnee Lake

Pawnee Lake (10,877') is also accessible from the Monarch Lake Trailhead on the west side of the Indian Peaks Wilderness

Cushion and mat plants trap organic debris that builds up soil, which enables grasses and forbs to root; this process can take centuries

Columbine are notoriously hardy, and can survive in soil that is little more than crushed granite

Pawnee Lake is a 1.85 mile, 1665' descent from Pawnee Pass

Once down the switchbacks, travel moderates across grassy slopes to Pawnee Lake

Alpine grasses and sedges take hold where tundra soil is well-developed

Lake Isabelle (10,868') is drained annually to manage downstream flows and distribution

Moose derive their new world name from the Algonkian word Mooswa, or twig eater

The Pawnee Pass Trail slips through jagged spires atop the Divide to begin the descent to Pawnee Lake

A string of scenic tarns on the north side of the Isabelle Valley are accessible with a little creative routing

Ptarmigan are the smallest grouse species, distinguished by perennially white tail feathers and feathered legs

A marmot's territory can cover several acres

The eastern approach to Pawnee Lake runs primarily above treeline, while the western approach travels through a long, wooded creek corridor

Fellfields occur on windswept slopes that hold little moisture, with rock comprising up to half its surface

Alpine tundra grasses include the Alpine Blue Grass, Skyline Blue Grass, Spike Trisetum, Tufted Hair Grass, Spreading Wheatgrass, Kobresia and Pyrennian Sedge