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.

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[–] Jerb322@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago (2 children)

What's the story behind the name. Just a quick paraphrasing would be cool.

[–] tuck182@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago (1 children)

The lake was renamed from its traditional Mono name by American settlers after an incident on September 23, 1871, in which a group of convicts escaped from prison in Carson City, Nevada, and took refuge near the lake. (source)

[–] Jerb322@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

Thanks

[–] everydayhiker@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

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).

[–] Jerb322@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

Thanks

[–] LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Beautiful area. I climbed Mt Morrison once and it's spectacular up there. Not an easy climb though, at least for me.

[–] everydayhiker@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

Awesome! This is as close as I got to Mt Morrison, but I’m sure it’s amazing up top!.. Looking at the trail info for if you went from the lake, it sounds pretty intense! (6.4 mi roundtrip with 4,600 ft elevation gain for anyone interested). Even the hike before the climb section looks like it’d be a steep one, way to go!