Airport Commuter Black SUV + Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chauffeur for the 1920s historic Eastern Sierra alpine lake resort at 7,850 ft with Mt Morrison 12,277 ft granite walls towering 3,500 ft above — named for the 1871 escape of 29 Carson City convicts + 30 lakeside cabins + Restaurant at Convict Lake Wine Spectator Award + Convict Lake Pack Station horseback + fly fishing + 15 min S of Mammoth, 35 min S of Double Eagle June Lake.
Convict Lake at 7,850 ft elevation has the most-dramatic Eastern Sierra alpine cirque setting + Mt Morrison (12,277 ft) granite walls tower 3,500 ft above the lake's west shore + Laurel Mountain (11,812 ft) flanks the southwest. The lake was named for the 1871 escape of 29 convicts from the Nevada State Prison in Carson City + the largest US prison escape of the 19th century + the convicts fled south through the Eastern Sierra to this lake area + a Mono County posse led by Sheriff Walter A Glascock pursued + during the gunfight on September 24, 1871, posseman Robert Morrison was shot and killed + Mt Morrison was named in his honor + the lake was renamed Convict Lake. Most of the convicts were captured + 6 lynched at Bishop or Aurora. The 1871 naming preserves the dramatic California frontier heritage at one of the state's most-photographed alpine lakes.
30 cabins (25 lakeside + 5 lake-view). 1-bedroom + 2-bedroom + 4-bedroom configurations + individually decorated mountain cabin style + full kitchens + fireplaces + private decks + walking access to Convict Lake shoreline.
Restaurant at Convict Lake. Wine Spectator Award winner + cellar features 2,500+ bottles + extensive California Cabernet + Pinot Noir + Burgundy + Bordeaux verticals + chef-driven Pacific Northwest cuisine + dinner-only Wednesday-Sunday + reservations essential + the iconic Eastern Sierra culinary destination.
Convict Lake Pack Station. On-property horseback riding stables + iconic Eastern Sierra horse pack trips into the John Muir Wilderness (California's 5th-largest designated wilderness at 651,000+ acres) + day rides + multi-day pack trips into Mono Pass + Pioneer Basin + Recess Lake + Wilbur May Basin.
Fly fishing destination. Alpine trout including rainbow + brown trout + Eastern Sierra fly fishing classics + boat rentals + guided fishing trips + Convict Lake is annually stocked.
Convict Lake (immediate). 7,850 ft alpine lake + 3-mile loop trail around the lake + the most-photographed Eastern Sierra alpine lake.
Convict Lake + 3-mile loop trail (immediate). Boat rentals + fishing + photography + the iconic Mt Morrison alpine glow at sunrise (east-facing cabins put guests in position).
Mammoth Lakes + Mammoth Mountain (15 min N). Tamarack Lodge + Westin Monache + Mammoth Mountain Ski Area 3,500 ft vertical + Devil's Postpile National Monument + Rainbow Falls.
Hot Creek Geological Site (5 min). The iconic Mammoth hot springs + geological hot water flowing into Hot Creek.
Crowley Lake (10 min S). Alpine reservoir + bass + trout + Crowley Lake columns geological formation.
Double Eagle Resort June Lake (35 min N). Sister Eastern Sierra North + June Lake Loop scenic byway.
Mono Lake (45 min N in Lee Vining). 760,000-year-old saline lake + iconic tufa towers.
Tioga Pass Yosemite NP East Entrance (1:00 N). Summer-only May-November + Tuolumne Meadows.
Bodie State Historic Park (1:30 N). California's most-complete ghost town.
Bristlecone Pine Forest Schulman Grove (1:00 S). Methuselah 4,855+ years, oldest known living organism on Earth.
Manzanar National Historic Site (1:30 S). WWII Japanese-American incarceration camp.
Mt Whitney Portal Lone Pine + Alabama Hills (2:30 S). Highest peak in contiguous US at 14,505 ft + Hollywood Western filming area.
MMH Mammoth Yosemite Airport (closest commercial). 15 minutes north via US-395 + 12 miles + summer United Express to LAX/SFO/DEN + winter Alaska + JetBlue to LAX/SFO/Long Beach.
RNO Reno-Tahoe International. 3:00 north via US-395 + 175 miles + year-round commercial + all major US carriers.
LAX Los Angeles. 5:30 south via US-395 + CA-14 + I-5 + 280 miles.
SFO San Francisco. 6:00 west via Tioga Pass + CA-120 + CA-99 + I-580 summer-only May-October + 7:00 via Sonora Pass winter.
On September 17, 1871, 29 convicts escaped from the Nevada State Prison in Carson City + the largest US prison escape of the 19th century + the convicts fled south through the Eastern Sierra reaching what was then unnamed Lake of the Lone Indian (the lake's prior Paiute Native American name) by September 24, 1871. A Mono County posse led by Sheriff Walter A Glascock + posseman Robert Morrison + Benton merchant Mortimer Belshaw pursued the convicts to the lake + during the gunfight at the lake's east shore on September 24, posseman Robert Morrison was shot and killed by the convicts. Mt Morrison (12,277 ft, the dramatic granite peak towering 3,500 ft above the lake's west shore) was named in Morrison's honor + the lake was renamed Convict Lake to commemorate the 1871 incident. Most of the convicts were captured in subsequent days + 6 convicts were lynched by mobs at Bishop + Aurora (the Eastern Sierra frontier justice of the period) + a few escaped to Mexico. The 1871 naming preserves the dramatic California frontier heritage at one of the state's most-photographed alpine lakes.
Convict Lake at 7,850 ft elevation has the most-dramatic Eastern Sierra alpine cirque setting + Mt Morrison (12,277 ft) granite walls tower 3,500 ft above the lake's west shore + Laurel Mountain (11,812 ft) flanks the southwest + the morning + evening light on the granite walls creates the iconic California alpine lake photography + the calm lake surface reflects the granite walls + the 3-mile loop trail around the lake gives photographers multiple shooting angles. The lake is more accessible than many Eastern Sierra alpine lakes (only 5 minutes off US-395 on Convict Lake Road, 15 min S of Mammoth, no hike required + most Eastern Sierra alpine lakes require 5-10 mi hikes). AC chauffeurs many photography immersion guests who specifically book Convict Lake Resort for the dawn + dusk light + the property's east-facing cabins put guests in position for the iconic Mt Morrison alpine glow at sunrise.
Both are AC's Eastern Sierra North 2-property cluster + 35 minutes apart on US-395 + sister-property pattern matching the Death Valley + Joshua Tree + Anza-Borrego + Sequoia/KC clusters. Convict Lake Resort (1920s historic Eastern Sierra alpine lake resort at 7,850 ft + Mt Morrison granite walls + 30 lakeside cabins + Restaurant at Convict Lake Wine Spectator Award + Convict Lake Pack Station horseback + iconic photogenic alpine cirque setting + 15 min S of Mammoth, 35 min S of June Lake) is the south anchor + closer to Mammoth + the iconic alpine lake destination. Double Eagle Resort & Spa June Lake (June Lake Loop scenic byway + 17 luxury 2-bedroom cabin suites + 16 hotel rooms + Eagle's Landing Restaurant + Creekside Spa the only full-service spa between Mammoth and Reno + closer to Mono Lake + Bodie + Tioga Pass Yosemite east entrance) is the north anchor + closer to Mono Basin destinations. AC chauffeurs many guests booking 1-2 nights at each + Convict Lake for the photography + horseback pack trip + Restaurant Wine Spectator dinner + Double Eagle for the Mono Basin + Bodie + Tioga Pass day trips. The 2-property pair gives Eastern Sierra North full coverage.
Convict Lake Pack Station is the on-property horseback riding stables + the iconic California Eastern Sierra horse pack trip operator + day rides through the surrounding John Muir Wilderness + multi-day pack trips into the Sierra backcountry (Mono Pass + Pioneer Basin + Recess Lake + Wilbur May Basin + Trail Lakes + Bear Mountain + the iconic Sierra Nevada alpine basins). The John Muir Wilderness is California's 5th-largest designated wilderness at 651,000+ acres + the iconic California alpine backcountry + the Pacific Crest Trail traverses + the John Muir Trail crosses + the wilderness includes Mt Whitney 14,505 ft (the highest peak in the contiguous US) + Mt Williamson 14,379 ft + multiple 14,000+ peaks. AC chauffeurs guests to/from pack station departures + can arrange multi-day pack trip pickup at alternate trailheads (Mono Hot Springs + Vermilion Valley Resort).
Yes - Convict Lake Resort is the Eastern Sierra US-395 corridor hinge for multiple AC chauffeur itineraries. Mammoth combo (15 min N, Tamarack Lodge 1924 + Westin Monache 2007 + Mammoth Mountain Ski + Devil's Postpile + Rainbow Falls + Hot Creek). Double Eagle Resort June Lake (35 min N, sister Eastern Sierra North + Mono Basin + Bodie + Tioga Pass Yosemite east entrance). Bristlecone Pine Forest Schulman Grove (1:00 S, Methuselah 4,855+ years). Manzanar National Historic Site (1:30 S, WWII Japanese-American incarceration camp). Mt Whitney Portal Lone Pine + Alabama Hills (2:30 S, highest peak in contiguous US at 14,505 ft + Hollywood Western filming area). Eastern Sierra US-395 grand tour (Reno to Lone Pine, the iconic California Eastern Sierra pilgrimage). California Cascade extension via I-5 + CA-89 (5-6:00 N to Mt Shasta + Drakesbad Lassen). Yosemite extension via Tioga Pass (3:00 NW via CA-120 summer-only). AC arranges multi-destination Eastern Sierra itineraries with vehicle positioning at MMH + RNO + LAX + SFO.