About the Crowley Lake, California Area 

Incredible fishing and a stunning wilderness are present in the rustic community of Crowley Lake. This delightful town of approximately 200 people is nestled among the trees and streams that run down to the lake from the surrounding mountains. Notably quieter and warmer than neighboring Mammoth Lakes, Crowley Lake offers first-class, year round recreational opportunities, a breathtaking environment and a peaceful way of life. Crowley Lake is a gem waiting to be discovered. 

Location 

Crowley Lake is nestled between the Sierra Nevada and the Glass Mountains, in the southern half of Mono County, in the east central portion of California. The town is located east of the Sierra Nevada, between Yosemite National Park and Nevada, in the Inyo National Forest, Mammoth Ranger District. Mono County is bordered by Inyo County to the south; Fresno and Madera Counties to the southwest; Tuolumne County to the west; Alpine County to the northwest; and Nevada to the north and east.  

Geography/Terrain 

Crowley Lake sits at an altitude of 6,800, cradled in the wide expanse of Long Valley, on the upper Owens River, southeast of Mammoth Lakes. The surrounding mountains have elevations exceeding 14,000 feet, and Mt. Whitney, 100 miles south, is the tallest mountain in the contiguous 48 states. Crowley Lake is located in Mono County, a strikingly diverse region of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The region is bounded on the west by the Sierra Nevada crest, and characterized by mountains, lakes, streams and forests. Surrounded by forest acreage and mountains, Crowley Lake is bordered by the Ansel Adams and John Muir Wilderness Areas, with Mammoth Mountain to the west, and the Sherwin Range to the south. 

Distance to 3 closest cities  

Crowley Lake is approximately 15 miles southeast of Mammoth Lakes, CA; 30 miles north of Bishop, CA; and 295 miles north of Los Angeles. 

Jobs 

Tourism plays a major part in the Crowley Lake economy, and agriculture in the form of livestock and major crops, forms an important component of the larger Mono County economy. Two local employers are Mono County Sheriff and Tom’s Place Resort Inc. Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services provide 30.0% of the employment in the area, educational, health and social services provide 14.4%, construction provides 11.2%, and retail trade provides 10.1%. The unemployment rate in Crowley Lake is 5.2% with a 4.55% increase in available jobs during the last year. The average time to commute to work is 14 minutes. The median household income is $50,501, and the average per capita income is $26,618. 

Housing  

Crowley Lake offers numerous housing choices; all located just minutes from world class skiing, trout fishing, and breath-taking mountain and lake views. Available homes include high-end condos and townhomes, small cabins, studio homes in the woods, as well as luxury million dollar custom homes. You can choose a home with a view of McGee Mountain and the Sierras, or one that backs onto a stream or ponds. The scenic forests of US Forest Service property will comprise your surroundings. Whether you want a modest winter cabin or an exclusive mansion in the mountains, you can find it here. 

Parks/Sports/Recreation/Golf 

The Crowley Lake area is a sportsman’s delight. Nationally renowned for its fantastic fishing, the lake holds a huge number of perch, chubs and suckers, and legendary sized brown and rainbow trout. The largest brown trout taken from the lake weighed a full 27 pounds! Between 6,000 and 10,000 fishermen arrive at the lake on opening day and the marina stays busy from then until the fall.  

There is a wealth of other water sports to be enjoyed here, including water-skiing, wake boarding and jet-skiing. A variety of bird species frequent the lake, including bald eagles, white pelicans, and sage grouse. You can also go to nearby McGee Creek for camping, stream fishing, horseback riding and hiking.
Crowley Lake was the first site for skiing in the area. Even prior to Mammoth Mountain’s development, avid skiers were delighting in the slopes of McGee Mountain. Currently, backcountry skiers enjoy the slopes, taking advantage of the solitude and fantastic powder of this roadside mountain. Other winter sports you can enjoy here include cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and dog sledding. 

And in the warmer months, you are not limited to fishing, by any means. Residents and visitors alike can enjoy boating, hiking, biking, rock climbing, horseback riding and tennis. Avid golfers can indulge in their sport of choice in nearby Mammoth Lakes at the beautiful 18-hole Sierra Star Golf Club or the challenging Snowcreek Golf Course. No matter what the season, there is always plenty of fun to be had at Crowley Lake! 

Special Attractions/Events 

There is a continuous stream of special events and entertainment opportunities in the beautiful Crowley Lake area, including outdoor concerts, movies under the stars and the Jazz Jubilee. There are several Arts and Crafts shows throughout the year, where you can find unique items including Indian artwork and jewelry, coins, old style clocks, wagons, blacksmith implements and tools. The antiques displayed reflect a range of time periods as well as a variety of occupations and nationalities.  

The region is known for its stunning fall colors, and is home to a number of hot springs. Hot Creek, Buckeye Hot Springs, and Benton Hot Springs near Bishop are just a few of the better known locations. If you’re willing to drive, there is an incredible range of fascinating sights to see in this part of the Eastern Sierra. In the Mammoth region there is Mammoth Mountain, Upper Lakes Basin, Hot Creek, Rainbow Falls, Convict Lake, Reds Meadow, Devil's Postpile, Minaret Vista, and Owens River. In Central Eastern Sierra there is Yosemite, Bodie, Bridgeport, Mono Lake, and June Lake. Further to the east there is Death Valley. In the Southern Eastern Sierra there is Mt. Whitney, Volcanic Tablelands and Petroglyphs, Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, Laws Railroad Museum, and Tinemaha Wildlife Viewpoint.  

There is no shortage of festivities and special events in the area. The Village at Mammoth celebrates St. Patrick's Day with festivities for the whole family, including face painting, a treasure hunt, dancers, and jugglers. The Village Championship Ski Race Series are an amateur race series that is open to the public. The Mammoth Ski Museum offers a Book Club and Lecture Series as well as a Dinner Series, a delightful combination of art and fine dining. Or, you can sip champagne as you enjoy a snowcat ride to Mammoth's highest fine dining spot, Parallax. Once there, you will be treated to a five-course gourmet dinner and wine. Movie buffs can attend the well-known Banff Film Festival in nearby Bishop. 

Interesting Facts/Historic Buildings and Places 

Long Valley was a vast meadowland until 1941, when the Long Valley Dam was built, creating Crowley Lake. Practically all the well known mountain men came through this region in the early days, and Mark Twain didn’t hesitate to write about Mono Lake and its "fly eating" residents. The Pony Express route ran across the territory. The promise of gold and other precious metals brought prospectors and created prosperous towns, which have since come and gone. 

Nearby Convict Lake was named after an incident that occurred in 1871. A group of convicts escaped from prison in Carson City, and a posse, led by Sheriff Robert Morrison encountered the convicts near the head of Convict Creek. Morrison was killed in the encounter, and Mount Morrison was named after him. 

If you drive along Highway 395, near Crowley Lake, you can see evidence of the first towrope to be set up in the Eastern Sierra. In 1938, Dave McCoy began his skiing empire on McGee Mountain, a spot that was near a highway and always had winter snow. The set up consisted of a gasoline engine, a towrope and a set of pullies. Three years later, in 1941, McCoy left and moved to Mammoth Mountain. 

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