Ruby Mountains
Lamoille Canyon, Ruby Mountains (9/30/20) Clayton Peoples 
Lamoille Lake, Ruby Mountains (9/30/20) Clayton Peoples
With peaking areas of Inyo National Forest closed to fall color viewing and smoke returning to many areas, Reno color spotter Clayton Peoples traveled east to Lamoille Canyon in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains.
CaliforniaFallColor.com focuses on – of course – California, though we do occasionally post reports from other states and countries.
Nevada is one location we’ve only lightly addressed, though this location has, as Clayton wrote, “some relevance to our current situation in California: Lamoille Canyon experienced a devastating fire in 2018. Many worried – understandably – that it would be irreparably damaged. But, the back third of the canyon was spared and is now thriving. There are also signs of new growth in areas that burned in 2018.”
Indeed, the bleached skeletons of incinerated aspen are seen in the above photograph, near young trees.
The Ruby Mountains are within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest which includes a small portion of Eastern California (northern Mono County). This national forest remains open. Ruby Dome, the range’s highest peak, is 11,387′. The mountains were named for the garnets found by prospectors.
Lamoille Canyon is the largest of the range’s valleys. Aspen are the principal deciduous tree growing within the range.
- Lamoille Canyon, Ruby Mountains, Elko County, Nevada (9,747′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
