2019 other side - part 20, Mammoth Mountain: history, Convict Lake, June Lake Loop, campsite - Travel With Us

About an hour north of Bishop we came to the exit for Mammoth Mountain; between the Mammoth airport and the village, we were finally welcomed to California. Can’t believe it took the state so long to put up a sign on US-395 for a welcome center. We had been looking for it when we entered California on our way to Death Valley like we see one every time we enter a new state. Better late than never I guess.

The welcome center had some great background information on this area.

This national forest is the crossroads of the Sierra Nevada Range, the Great Basin, and northern Mojave Desert. At this spot we saw the desert giving way to the forest; further north we saw more and more forest and green grazing land in the valleys.

How the lakes in Mammoth were formed from the glaciers moving out.

Ever wonder how Mammoth got its name?

Convict Lake

Just south of Mammoth is Convict Lake, one of the most beautiful lakes we have ever seen.

so beautiful to have the snow-capped mountain
coming all the way down to the edge of the lake

what a view; fishing is supposed to be great here

So what’s the story behind the name of this lake?

In 1871, a group of 29 men broke out of prison in Carson City, more than 200 miles away. Six of them made it here. After the posse tracked them, the convicts killed 2.

a posse from Aurora, Nevada, went after the convicts for the $500 reward

the 2 men in the posse who were killed are remembered;
can’t find any information on what happened to the convicts

June Lake Loop

We really liked the beauty of Convict Lake but had also heard about the 16-mile June Lake Loop that we explored later on. The loop shows off 4 distinct lakes, and the village of June Lake is open year-round with hotels, restaurants, and shops. All of the small resort areas and national forest campgrounds looked well loved. We were told to look out for the waterfall about half-way around the loop.