Mount Constance
Lake Constance Trailhead ⚲ Olympic National Park, Dosewallips, Washington
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Mount Constance (7,756’) is generally accessed via the Lake Constance Trail along the washed-out Dosewallips River Road. The camping permits for Lake Constance are limited and must be obtained prior to your visit via the Recreation.gov website. Therefore, back on March 15th, I was online at 7 a.m. to grab three permits for a random weekend in August. That random weekend was now upon us so I gathered my friends Ryan Rodman and Cody Wyatt and we headed to the Olympics.
Bike the Dosewallips Road
Cody Wyatt, Collin Blunk, and Ryan Rodman packed up and ready to ride at the Lake Constance Trailhead, from here it’s a five-mile ride down the washed-out Dosewallips River Road to the Lake Constance Trail.
This trip begins on the Dosewallips River Road. This abandoned road was washed out by the Dosewallips River back in 2002 creating a 5-ish mile approach to the start of the Lake Constance trail. Ryan and I had been down this abandoned road earlier this year when climbing Mount Anderson - we realized then that bikes would be a must for our return to Mount Constance. With Ryan’s help, we were able to secure three RAD Power Bikes for the riding portion of our trip! These were an absolute blessing and by far the best way to cover the 10 (total) road miles.
Ryan Rodman and Cody Wyatt march up the “steepest trail in the Olympics,” nearly 4,000 feet of gain in two miles to Lake Constance.
View of Lake Constance looking SW as we hiked around to the North side of the lake to set up camp. Olympic National Park, Washington.
Ryan Rodman stops to snap a photo along the shores of Lake Constance - the bluest lake I’ve seen in the Olympic Mountains.
Hike up to Lake Constance
The trail to Lake Constance is notoriously steep and even carries the moniker of being the hardest hike in the Olympics. While there are almost certainly harder routes that exist in the Olympic Mountains, the 3,200 feet of gain encountered during the short 1.8-mile ascent to the lake is definitely felt in the legs of all who find their way to the shore of this ultra-blue lake.
The trout were plentiful at Lake Constance - Ryan and Cody took the time to cast a few once camp was set up and they caught a fish nearly every time.
The weather for the weekend was not looking good; thunder, lightning, and rain were in the forecast for both days - but the chance to summit one of the most iconic peaks in the Olympic Mountains was too good to pass up. Cody and Ryan chose to pack small fishing setups in case the weather kept us off the mountain. With the rods, we would at least be able to entertain ourselves at the lake. As we would discover, Lake Constance is rich with trout. Once camp was set up, the fellas fished for an hour while lunch was consumed. Ryan didn’t have much luck with his fly rod, but Cody landed a fish nearly every cast using his spinner reel.
Even though Ryan’s fly rod was the more aesthetic choice, Cody’s spinner reel is what landed all the fish.
Showing the fish some love before returning it to Lake Constance.
We set up camp at the north end of the lake (we arrived at the south end). Ryan and Cody utilized my Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultramid 4 and I eagerly used my new 10’x10’ Flat Tarp (also HMG). I am glad I took the time to practice setting it up in my own backyard a few times before rigging it up in the wilderness. This was my first attempt at tarp camping and it worked great for this trip. I am excited to practice this skill in the future to become even more proficient.
Ryan and Cody used my Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultramid 4 and set up at the larger campsite, lake-side. Lake Constance, Olympic National Park, Washington.
Details at camp. Lake Constance, Olympic National Park, Washington.
I slept under my Hyperlite Mountain Gear 8’x10’ Flat Tarp, the warm weather warranted the light setup.
We debated the plan as it sprinkled on us at the lake. Even though the rain was light, the route would certainly be wet. The final vote was in favor of getting the work done first - summit, whoop it up at camp, and have a leisurely morning come Sunday. Therefore we decided to push up the mountain to bite off small chunks and assess conditions as we progressed.
Ascend Avalanche Canyon
The path ahead leads deep into Avalanche Canyon, where we will eventually take a right, and begin our ascent of Mount Constance (7,756’).
We would make the ascent via Avalanche Canyon which resides just above the lake. This area is beautiful - I was blown away by the jagged and towering features littering the valley between Inner Constance (7,670’) and Mount Constance (7,756’). One such feature named “the Thumb” on the western (left) side of the canyon marks the point to start climbing out of the valley towards Constance. It is tempting to beeline early and start gaining elevation before this mark, but that leads to a lot of unnecessary side-hilling on crummy scree. Stay low, and hold off until you can make a near-straight line up to the saddle.
Ryan admires the towering and beautiful features of Avalanche Canyon, “the Thumb” visible in the background. Olympic National Park, Washington.
We climbed out of Avalanche Canyon and up the first scree field to the initial saddle of Mount Constance where we reassessed our options for the day. Ahead of us lay a daunting loose scree climb to an unknown ridge line scramble. Ultimately, the rain hadn’t subsided so we thought better of it and planned to tackle the mountain bright and early the next day. Any pain we felt about racking up empty mileage on the mountain was now numbed by the anticipation for the food and drinks we had brought to the lake, waiting for us below.
A view of the second scree field from the initial saddle of Mount Constance (7,756’), Olympic National Park, Washington.
Ryan looks east towards Puget Sound from the saddle on Mount Constance (7,756’), Olympic National Park, Washington.
A rainbow at sunset! Never have I ever witnessed such an odd phenomenon, the entire band was red/orange/pink.
The descent to camp wasn’t too arduous as we were able to scree-ski back down to the base of Avalanche Canyon. We relaxed at camp, caught more fish, cooked up dinner, and went to bed at a decent hour. Alarms were set for 4 a.m. the next morning.
A view from the initial saddle of Mount Constance (7,756’) Sunday morning, Olympic National Park, Washington.
An inversion lingers over the east side of the Olympic Mountains.
I boiled water for oatmeal and coffee before we left camp at 5 a.m. Sunday morning. By the dim morning light, we made our way back up to the saddle we had turned around at just hours before. It wasn’t fun regaining all that we had climbed the day before, but we were motivated by the lack of rain and calm conditions.
Finally getting eyes on the summit of Mount Constance (7,756’) from the top of the second scree field (Point Smith area). Third highest peak in Olympic National Park, Washington.
Cross the Finger Traverse
Before long we had made our way to the most anticipated part of the entire experience, the finger traverse! The exposure is real but the holds are bomber, I led the way around the blind corner and made my way across the slabs, fueled by pure excitement. Ryan and Cody followed with ease.
Looking back on the infamous finger traverse (green slabs) on the route to the summit of Mount Constance (7,756’), Olympic Mountains, Washington.
View of the finger traverse on Mount Constance. Mount Constance - South Summit stands behind, the bypass climbs up and over instead of crossing the green slabs.
Left: The Brothers (6,842’), Center: south end of Mount Constance - the finger traverse crosses the green slabs, Right: Cody Wyatt admires the view, Olympic National Park, Washington.
After finding success on the finger traverse our confidence was high! I had friends who climbed Constance back in June, they passed along beta about a gully that bypassed the final skirting section and instead shot you directly up to the summit shelf. We found said gully and scrambled up with ease wondering why it wasn’t the standard route (follow .gpx route).
Follow our .gpx route to bypass the lower traverse and scramble right up to the summit shelf like Cody pictured here. Mount Constance, Olympic National Park, Washington.
Summit Mount Constance
The Mount Constance summit register.
Cody Wyatt, Collin Blunk, and Ryan Rodman on the summit of Mount Constance - third highest peak in the Olympic Mountains.
Finding friends and then leaving our mark.
Once on the final shelf, we had to navigate the ridge line to the backside of the summit stack, here we found simple but steep scrambling up to the actual summit. The top of Constance is truly unique and airy, we signed the register, took some photos, and then proceeded to make our way back off the mountain.
Ryan Rodman making his way out of the finger traverse on our way back off the mountain. Mount Constance (7,756’) in the background.
Cody Wyatt exiting the notorious finger traverse on Mount Constance.
Cody Wyatt making his way out of the finger traverse on our way back off the mountain. Mount Constance (7,756’) in the background.
We all wanted another shot at the thrilling finger traverse and so chose it over the bypass for our descent. It is different when tackled from this direction. When climbing up, you start at a secure spot and move upward and out around a blind edge with good hands. On the return trip everything is angled downward, you look down, you feel a bit more out of position initially, and must you descend around the blind corner. Regardless, with the conditions we encountered, we found the finger traverse to be more exhilarating than technically challenging, and is one of the most memorable features of this climb.
The Brothers (6,842’) in the background Mount Constance - South Summit in the foreground. Olympic National Park, Washington.
Looking back at Mount Constance (7,756’) while on the descent - admiring such a beautiful and unique mountain.
Lake Constance in all its glory. Looking back towards Avalanche Canyon from the southern shore of the lake, Olympic National Park, Washington.
Cody and Ryan take it all in one final time - Lake Constance in the Olympic Mountains.
The Fat Tire Ale seemed too on point for this fat-bike-fueled adventure!
DRIVING DIRECTIONS
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