Convict Lake Campground, California, United States

5Janhavi M 5:00 PM Oct 12, 2020

Relaxing Paddle
This review is only for the boat rentals at the Convict lake resort. We visited during the pandemic on a busy Columbus Day weekend and had a great time on the water. The rental is located right on the lake. I would recommend reservations as they have a very small fleet of boats. Holidays and weekends are crowded given the proximity to Bay area. We walked-in in the morning and the tandem kayaks were not available until later in the day. The guy at the office was very very helpful and booked us for later in the day. The staff made the launch and dock really easy for us. They seem to have only sit-on-top kayaks. The lake itself is gorgeous with the backdrop of the mountain and some fall colors. The water is mostly calm and the paddle was relaxing. It took only half an hour not even to get across the lake at an easy pace. We got off at the beach like area and enjoyed a snack in the woods. Paddle back was very enjoyable as well.

4Queen J 5:00 PM Oct 10, 2022

Absolutely gorgeous
The lake water levels in the Mammoth area are very low these days, especially in October, but THIS is the lake to hike around for gorgeous lake scenery and fall colors. The leaves were yellow in the first week of October. I had expected more red, but the weather has been too warm too long this fall. I expect the leaves will be jaw- droppingly gorgeous by the third week of October. The hike is about 2.5 miles around the whole lake and takes about an hour and a half. The path is paved near the boat launch, a wooden boardwalk at the south end with the beach and trees, and the rest of the trail is a dirt path with many short paths or stairs leading down to the lake's edge. The path varies slightly in elevation, but is an easy walk overall. There are also several paths with stairs leading down to the hiking path from Convict Lake Road above, which runs about a quarter mile southeast from the marina/ campground before it dead ends. Park here if you arrive early or visit in the off-season. We started from the resort parking, which added about a half mile to the hike as you need to hike up over a small hill and then back down to meet the trail on the other side. We took tons of pics with the mountains in the background, reflections on the lake surface, and varied hues of blue and green water. The passing clouds and angles around the lake offer many beautiful pictures that look like different places. It's a really pretty hike. Recommendations: If you hike in the summer, arrive early as parking (in every area here) is limited. Start at the marina and walk the sunny, barren west side first (to your right). This path is mostly level and higher above the lake, offering more panoramic views, but there is no shade, so you definitely want to start on that side when the weather is warm. It's only about a 30-40 min walk to get to the south end with the beach. The walk on the other side is more hilly, but shaded most of the way. The best pics are from the south end.