Convict Lake is a lake

Lake

A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

 in the Sherwin Range

Sherwin Range

The Sherwin Range is a mountain range that is a part of the Sierra Nevada, in California, USA. The range is immediately to the south of the Long Valley Caldera, stretching from just south of the town of Mammoth Lakes, California to the Wheeler Crest...

 of the Sierra Nevada in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, USA. It is known for its fishing and the dramatic mountains (including Mount Morrison

Mount Morrison (California)

Mount Morrison is located in the Sierra Nevada, in the Sherwin Range. It rises south of Convict Lake near the town of Mammoth Lakes.-History:The mountain was named for Robert Morrison, a merchant in the town of Benton, who was killed near Convict Lake on September 23, 1871 while was acting as...

) that surround the lake.

The lake was named after an incident in 1871, where a group of convicts escaped from prison in Carson City

Carson City, Nevada

The Consolidated Municipality of Carson City is the capital of the state of Nevada. The words Consolidated Municipality refer to a series of changes in 1969 which abolished Ormsby County and merged all the settlements contained within its borders into Carson City. Since that time Carson City has...

. A posse

Posse comitatus (common law)

Posse comitatus or sheriff's posse is the common-law or statute law authority of a county sheriff or other law officer to conscript any able-bodied males to assist him in keeping the peace or to pursue and arrest a felon, similar to the concept of the "hue and cry"...

, led by Sheriff

Sheriff

A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....

 Robert Morrison, encountered the convicts near the head of what is now Convict Creek. Morrison was killed in the encounter, and Mount Morrison was named after him.

In film

• The 1951 film The Secret of Convict Lake
  The Secret of Convict Lake
  The Secret of Convict Lake is a 1951 black-and-white western film starring Glenn Ford and Gene Tierney. It was directed by Michael Gordon and produced by Frank P. Rosenberg, with music by Sol Kaplan...
  
  was largely based on the events that occurred at the lake in 1871.
• According to the narrative included with the movie How the West Was Won
  How the West Was Won (film)
  How the West Was Won is a 1962 American epic Western film. The picture was one of the last "old-fashioned" epic films made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to enjoy great success. It follows four generations of a family as they move ever westward, from western New York state to the Pacific Ocean...
  
  , Convict Lake was in the opening scenes.
• The lake was the filming location for several scenes in the 1998 film Star Trek: Insurrection
  Star Trek: Insurrection
  Star Trek: Insurrection is a 1998 American science fiction film directed by Jonathan Frakes, written by Michael Piller , and with music composed by Jerry Goldsmith. It is the ninth film in the Star Trek franchise, and the third to feature the cast from the television series Star Trek: The Next...
  
  .
• It was used in an advertisement for Nature Valley granola bars in 2007.
• An image of Convict lake was used in a CG background for a cartoon demonstration on Mythbusters
  MythBusters
  MythBusters is a science entertainment TV program created and produced by Beyond Television Productions for the Discovery Channel. The series is screened by numerous international broadcasters, including Discovery Channel Australia, Discovery Channel Latin America, Discovery Channel Canada, Quest...
  
  .

Tourism

The lake has a long history of tourism, this has led to the development of a campground. There are roughly one hundred camp sites, these are often nearly filled during peak fishing season. The Convict Lake General Store is located near the mouth of the lake, along with a few cabins. Fish included at the lake are Rainbow trout, German brown trout, and a species of sucker fish. Due to the high demand of fishing in the lake and stream, the lake is stocked once a week during the summer with rainbow trout, supplied by nearby hatcheries.

1990 Drownings

In February 1990, Convict Lake was the site of a major drowning. In all, three teenagers from Camp O'Neal, an institution for juvenile delinquents located at the lake, and four would-be rescuers drown in the freezing water. Another youth and a volunteer fire chief were rescued. Shortly before their deaths, the youths were warned that the ice was too thin to support their weight but failed to heed the warning.