Convict Lake, Mountain lake in Sierra Nevada, California, US
Convict Lake is a turquoise mountain body of water at more than 7,200 feet (2,200 meters) in the Sherwin Range of Sierra Nevada, California, reaching depths of 140 feet (43 meters). The basin is surrounded by granite peaks and fed by snowmelt, spanning roughly one mile from east to west.
The area was formerly Paiute territory before gold seekers arrived in the 19th century. In September 1871, a shootout between escaped convicts and a posse took place on the shore, leaving a lawman dead.
The name refers to a shootout with escaped prisoners in 1871, though the Paiute called the water Wit-sa-nap, a word for the mountain streams that fed spirits dwelling in the lake. Today anglers use the shore for trout fishing, and hikers travel the three-mile path that circles the entire basin.
The paved access road from Highway 395 leads directly to the shore, where parking and a boat rental are available. The trail around the water is flat and easy to walk, even in winter when snow covers the peaks.
In winter the frozen surface turns into a spot for ice fishing and other activities, while the neighboring restaurant stays open year-round. On some days the granite walls reflect so perfectly in the water that shore and sky become hard to separate.
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