Convict Lake is a lake in the Sherwin Range of the Sierra Nevada in California, United States. It is known for its fishing and the dramatic mountains that surround the lake. Its surface lies at an elevation of 7,850. It is one of the deepest lakes in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and is surrounded, in places, by rock more than half a billion years old! Its interesting name comes from an incident here a group of convicts escaped from a prison in Carson City and took refuge near the head of Convict Creek. One posse member was killed in an effort to 'round them up'. The 1951 film The Secret of Convict Lake was based mostly on the events that occurred during the conflict between the escaped convicts and the agents seeking the capture them. In addition to its reputation as a magnificent and dramatic mountain, the area is highly prized by anglers for its Rainbow and German Brown Trout (it is stocked weekly during the summer).
We arrived before dawn and spent a bit of time searching for just the right spot to capture a sunrise. We found it at the end of the road, right along the lake in a Day Use section of the park. Once that sun starts to color the mountain I just stayed put! In retrospect, I wish I had thought of photographing the whole process to create a time-lapse. May just have to go back!
