Convict Lake, Mountain lake in Sierra Nevada, California, US

Convict Lake is an oblong lake at 7,580 feet (2,310 m) in the Sherwin Range of the Sierra Nevada, California, reaching depths of about 140 feet (43 m). It sits in a box canyon of light-colored granite, with Mount Morrison rising to 12,241 feet (3,731 m) to the south-east.

On September 17, 1871, 29 prisoners escaped from the Nevada State Prison in Carson City, killing a guard. Led by convicted murderer Charlie Jones, they headed south toward Mammoth Lakes and killed mail rider Billy Poor near Convict Creek. On September 23 a posse led by Sheriff George Hightower and Mono Jim caught them near Monte Diablo Creek, and in the shootout Wells Fargo agent Robert Morrison and Mono Jim were killed. Mount Morrison and the smaller Mono Jim Peak are named after them.

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.

The 1951 western The Secret of Convict Lake is based on the 1871 escape and shootout, and the lake appears in the opening scenes of How the West Was Won (1962). Nevada Smith (1966) and Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) also filmed scenes here.