Topatopa Mountains

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Topatopa Mountains are a mountain range in Ventura County, California, north of the towns of Ojai, Santa Paula, and Fillmore. They are part of the Transverse Ranges in Southern California. The mountains stretch roughly east to west, lying east of the Sierra Madre and west of the Sierra Pelona. The highest point is Alamo Mountain, at 7,402 feet (2,256 meters). In winter, the high peaks often get snow.

Rivers drain from the range into the Santa Clara River Valley to the south. The largest tributaries are Piru Creek and Sespe Creek. Lake Piru is the main reservoir in the mountains. The Topatopa Mountains lie within the Los Padres National Forest, and much of the Sespe Wilderness Area and the Sespe Condor Sanctuary are here. The area is part of the California montane chaparral and woodlands habitat and is home to the endangered California condor. Sespe Creek runs through the range, forming Sespe Gorge with riparian willows and woodlands.

Name origins: the mountains’ name comes from a Chumash word, with ties to a nearby village called Si-toptopo. The word topa is said to mean reed or rush.