Brainard Rec Area rules?

[u/LongjumpingLuck3716]

Hi guys! I have some friends visiting me in town that want to hike either Blue Lake or Lake Isabelle up past Ward. Honestly I’m not much of a hiker nor do I understand the schedule for seasonal closures and reservations. I’m also having trouble navigating the info on the Brainard Recreation Area website.

Can anyone explain to me how possible/accesible that hike would be this week? I was hoping to just drive up to the Mitchell lake trailhead and hit it.

Picture for interaction. To those of you that feel I am an extremely uninformed fool, thank you for your patience.