Lake Constantine and Tuhare Lakes
Holy Cross Wilderness

In my previous post, I’d mentioned how my friend Chuck and I were enjoying hikes from our base in Vail. Whitney Lake had provided a nice introductory hike. Our next outing was to Lake Constantine, with a possible extension up to Tuhare Lakes. We were excited to continue our exploration of Holy Cross WIlderness.

Getting There

Lake Constantine and Tuhare Lakes are reachable via the Fall Creek Trail. The trailhead for Fall Creek is at the same parking area as for Mount of the Holy Cross. From Minturn, head south on CO24 to the Tigiwon Road. Tigiwon Road is the right turn just before the road crosses the Eagle River. Once on Tigiwon Road, sit back and enjoy a nice, bumpy road for the next 8 miles. The road is passable for most vehicles although the occasional oil-pan removal rock can crop up here and there. Half Moon Campground is also located off the parking lot.

Although the pics below weren’t from our drive during this morning, they were from CO24. We took these the day before when we were returning from Whitney Lake. I like to take pics from other hikes and randomly insert them into posts.

Great forest hiking

The Fall River Trail starts off pretty flat making for an easy start. There is a slightly steep section after .25 miles and then it settles in to a modest climb for the rest of the hike to Lake Constantine. The forest here is mainly coniferous with the occasional break providing an overlook. Most of these breaks are where washouts have happened in the past, or crossing a boulder field. We kept a reasonable pace and enjoyed the views when they presented themselves.

After 2.3 miles, the trail to Notch Mountain branches off. While that trail does head up Notch Mountain, it isn’t to the true summit unless you cross the notch. We found out later there is a cabin near the top of Notch Mountain which sounds like a good destination for a future hike.

Lake Constantine

In just under 4 miles, we came upon the northern end of Lake Constantine. The trail dumps you into a meadow where we saw moose tracks and the shallow end of the lake. There are lots of social trails around the lake area. We made our way up the west side of the lake and came around to the southern part where Fall Creek feeds the lake. We saw about 8 trout schooled up by the creek crossing. After crossing, we could see lots of fish further downstream.

I got pretty excited about fishing the creek. Chuck wandered along the creek and did a rough estimate on the number of fish. We concluded there were at least 70 trout hanging out in the lower section right. Meanwhile, I was scaring them with my fly fishing although I did end up landing a few. The trout were very pretty and it was fun seeing all of them busy in the creek.

The temps were much cooler than the day before and there were plenty of clouds that looked to be ready to dump some moisture. We didn’t feel like sitting around at the lake in the cooler temps. While rain or snow might come, we felt prepared with our rain gear so we decided to follow the creek up to Tuhare Lakes.

Heading up to Tuhare Lakes

Following the creek past Lake Constantine, you immediately find out why it’s called Fall Creek. There are several pretty cascades and small falls making it the prettiest section of the trail. Shortly after some of these initial falls, the trail becomes part scramble, part hike up a steep section. After one of these scrambles, you begin to see the large, gorgeous falls just below the lower two of the Tuhare Lakes.

The hike up also provides great views as you get above the tree line. Snow showers had moved in and they added a special beauty to the views and experience.

Lower of Tuhare Lakes

We made our way up the trail to the right of the falls. After crossing a boulder field, you are rewarded with the view of the lower of the two Tuhare Lakes. It’s a beautiful view! There is a large boulder near the lake which we climbed on and enjoyed the moment! We saw a fish jump, but decided against fishing. We debated going up to the upper lake and decided to pass this time. The upper lake is definitely on a future hike list!

Returning from Lake Constantine and Tuhare Lakes

The hike down was enjoyable, especially the first part as we went by the falls and cascades again. We talked a lot about how special the day had been, and how the snow showers had made it even better. Later on, we were able to capture a pic of the snow showers over the Gore Range.

A few angry squirrels made their presence known in the last few miles. One threw pine cones down at us (ok, maybe he was just harvesting them). I took a pic of one who was very vocal.

The hike up to these lakes made a very enjoyable day and made us think backpacking in this wilderness area is a good 2023 objective.

Lake Constantine and Tuhare Lakes GPX Track