A dark past haunts this picturesque California lake | Bartell's Backroads

Convict Lake has a history of great views, great fishing and a murderous shootout.

Before it received the name Convict Lake, the Northern Paiute tribe called the area “The Land of Flowing Water." It is here that the stark mountains funnel snowmelt from the Eastern Sierra down into Convict Lake and into the Inyo National Forest. The clear cool water is accessible to anyone driving along highway 395 and Mammoth Lakes.

As picturesque as it is, Convict Lake has a dark past, according to U.S. Forest Service spokesperson Keith Dawley. “There was a group of convicts that escaped Carson City and ran down here,” Dawley says.

The Convicts that Dawley is talking about were 29 murderers and thieves who escaped a Nevada prison in 1871. Hot on their trail was posse led by Sheriff Robert Morrison, who cornered the escapees at the base of the mountain and the lake.

“Most were captured but in the ensuing shoot-out, Sheriff Morrison was killed,” Dawley said.

From then on, the water was known as Convict Lake and the tallest peak was named after Sheriff Morrison.

Today, Convict Lake is known for its swimming, boating and of course its fishing. It’s said that some of the state’s largest trout lurk below these waters.

Convict Lake has a number of outlandish “fish tales,” one popular story is that of Horgan, a massive brown trout that many claim to have seen, but no one has caught.

You can find many fishing spots along the three-mile lake loop trail. The boardwalk on the west side of the lake leads you to an entry point of the John Muir Trail, and a beautiful grove of quaking aspen which puts on a spectacular color show in the fall.

“All the trees will turn a brilliant yellow at peak season,” Dawley says.

Convict Lake is open year-round. Camping and lodging are available. Hiking and sightseeing are free.

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