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Trip Report    

Backpack – 2-Day: Lake Constantine from Halfmoon TH

Lovely 1-night backpack, but this was the most crowded I've seen it, so weekends might not be the best time to go. Mosquitoes, as always, were bad.

Lisa Shroyer Lisa Shroyer
July 16, 2024
  • Road suitable for all vehicles

  • Road from Minturn up to the trailhead is bumpy, and one section is particularly slow going. Recommend some clearance, but a Subaru did fine. The trailhead was packed at 7:45 am on a Saturday. Prepare for parking competition, esp on weekends, and get there early and plan to park on the road up from the trailhead and add 1/4 to a 1/3 of road walk. The trail was in good condition, lots of fallen trees have been cleared since 2023. No snow at lake or along the trail on July 13. 

We did one night camped at Lake Contantine. Arrived Sat morning to more cars at the trailhead than I've seen before (this is my 3rd time doing the trip). We encountered several large groups that looked like fishing meetups or backpacking meetups. When we got to the lake, all the usual good sites were taken, so we opted for one in the willows that could accomodate our group. There were people camped at every turn by the end of the day Saturday. We had to go far to find private bathroom spots. There was a fairly constant cacophony of dog barking all around. As usual for this location, the mosquitoes were intense! we brought DEET and face nets which helped a lot. 

Workers from the Forest Service came by around dusk, seemed like they were checking out campsites. They asked us to bump one tent a bit further back from the water, which we were happy to do. It's hard at this lake because the established tent spots are near water, so to comply with the 100 foot rule you sometimes need to pitch your tent on a spot that hasn't been impacted. The Forest Service would rather you do this than be too close to water. They also noted the old fire ring and fire remnants in our site, and said they'd come back in the morning to disperse it. No fires are allowed at the lake or above 11K feet in Holy Cross, but people always seem to have them anyway. 

Some campers packed in with llamas, which was a site to see! 

Overall, I love Lake Constantine, especially with the great day hike options to Tuhare Lakes from there, but I feel like it's getting overused and I will avoid it on weekends in high season from now on. 

Campsite intel: I chatted with the Forest Service folks, and we all agreed the best sites are the ones at the far southern end of the lake, near where Fall Creek enters the lake.