Easy, 2.5 mi loop
170 ft elevation gain
Hiked 3/16/24
A breath-taking view over a pristine lake which is also highly accessible. With an elevation of roughly 7700 ft, the crystal clear waters of this stunning lake act as a mirror to the nearby mountains. Views are highly accessible from the beginning and the trail is easy and flat around the lake.
I wish that I had more photos from this hike, but there was a 1-2 week period shortly after I got my camera that I accidentally deleted a ton of photos. The biggest disappointment was losing the descent into death valley when the hillsides where filled with spring flowers. Oh well, excuse to return. Luckily, I had pulled some of them (such as the four from yesterday and these two among others), so it wasn't a total waste.
Looking across Convict Lake towards Mono Jim Peak and Mt Morrison behind it, a slight breeze casts ripples across an otherwise perfect mirror image in the water.
As the other poster stated in their wikipedia excerpt, a group of escaped convicts holed up there after a prison escape; followed by a shootout.. Its got kind of a lot of tragedy associated with the lake, as there was also an incident in 1990 where a group of boy scouts fell through the ice, which led to seven people drowning (some of the scouts as well as rescuers).
Thanks