Convict Lake Loop
Inyo National Forest (near Mammoth) · near Mammoth Lakes · Eastern Sierra
Hiking · Trail Running
At a glance
- Difficulty
- easy
- Route type
- loop
- Distance
- 2.8 miles
- Elevation gain
- 200 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- May–October (aspen gold in fall)
- Distance
- 3 miles
- Elevation gain
- 250 ft
- Best season
- June–October (snow-free) · fall aspen color late Sept
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No permit or fee for the day hike around the lake. One of the most beautiful and accessible lakes in the Eastern Sierra.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 1 of 5
- How the permit works
- No permit for the lake loop. Inyo National Forest — free day use. Wilderness permits apply only to overnight trips deeper into the basin.
What is here
- Features
- Dramatic peak-rimmed lake · Easy flat loop · Blazing fall aspen · Reflections at dawn
- Features
- One of the most beautiful lakes in the Sierra · Dramatic peaks mirrored in still water · Flat, fast lakeshore loop · Fall aspen gold
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- Come at dawn for glass-still reflections of the peaks, or in late September/early October for the aspen gold — the fall color here is spectacular. It's an easy, nearly flat loop suitable for all ages, and makes a perfect acclimatization walk (the lake sits at 7,850 ft) before a higher hike. There's a lakeside resort with a well-regarded restaurant for after.
Trail Running detail
- Surface
- singletrack
- Intl tip
- Convict Lake is a short drive off Hwy 395 south of Mammoth. Extend by climbing deeper into the basin toward Mildred Lake. The resort has a well-known restaurant. Combine with Mammoth (this guide), the hot springs (swimming guide), and the fall aspen color (peak late September). Dawn is best for the reflections.
The guide
Convict Lake is one of the Eastern Sierra's most beautiful and accessible spots — a deep, blue-green lake cradled beneath a rin…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Convict Lake Loop — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.591, -118.857