Appropriately Named

In the late 1800s, a ranch along the California/Nevada line was named for the color of its quaking aspen.

Presently, it’s the black cottonwood in the town of Topaz, at Topaz Lake and throughout the Antelope Valley that deserve the description, as they are exuding the yellow-orange-brown color of the area’s namesake gemstone at every turn.

Topaz marks the end of the line when driving north on US 395 before you reach Nevada. It’s the northern end of Mono County and it’s the figurative end of autumn in the Eastern Sierra.

Mono County color spotter Jeff Simpson found, however, that autumn has not yet ended there. Lush topaz color is still carried by landmark cottonwood throughout the area and that it will likely last right into November whose birthstone just happens to be … Topaz.

• Topaz, Coleville, Antelope Valley (5,033′) – Peak (75 – 100%), GO NOW!