Convict Lake has magical and mysterious appeal from the lake’s picturesque crystal clear waters, and is one of the most photographed and famous bodies of water in California’s Eastern Sierra. Unlike many drive-to lakes in the region, Convict Lake was created naturally. It sits snuggled in a box canyon, some 7,583 feet high in the Sierra Nevada. Just south of Mammoth Lakes and a measly couple miles from Scenic Highway 395, Convict Lake has long been popular with anglers and photographers; both pastimes being easily rewarded by the gorgeous alpine lake teeming with trout. In September of 1871, a group of convicts escaped from Carson City, Nevada, and were cornered by a local posse by the lake. A shootout took place and two members of the posse were killed, including Benton merchant Robert Morrison. The biggest peak above the lake, Mount Morrison, was named in his honor and the lake was renamed after the incident.
The Eastern Sierra is a region in California comprising the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada, which includes Mono and Inyo Counties. The main thoroughfare is U.S. Route 395, which passes through Bridgeport, Lee Vining, Bishop, Big Pine, Independence, Lone Pine, and Olancha, with Bishop being the largest city in the area. It is sparsely populated but well known for its scenery; major points of interest include Mono Lake, Bodie, Mammoth Lakes, Manzanar, and parts of Yosemite National Park and Death Valley National Park.
