Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest Hike

4.4 miles - Moderate Effort
2 Hours (Total)
900 Total Feet of Climbing
Max Elevation of 10,203 feet
Leashed Dogs Allowed

This Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest hike takes you through awe-inspiring groves of the oldest trees in the world, the Ancient Bristlecone Pines. This trail will take you past living trees that are up to 5000 years old, shaped and gnarled by thousands of years of wind coming off of the Sierras and Nevada Basin, which you will also get incredible views of. This hike is relatively easy, on a well marked trail, and includes a very cool visitor center and interpretive info along the route.

In this Guide:

How to Get to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest Hike
Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest Trail Maps
What to Look For in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest
Turn by Turn Hike Directions & Video

Quick Links:
Park Website - NOAA Weather Report - My Oct 2024 Gear

Getting to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest

The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is pretty remote. It's an incredible journey just getting here, and is well worth it. Use this as the trailhead address: Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest Visitor Center, Bishop, CA, 93514, USA.

In the winter the road to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is sometimes closed, so call the ranger station if you're visiting on the shoulder seasons.

Make sure your gas tank is full and you have snacks and food. The nearest services are on Rt 395.

If you want to camp nearby, try the Grandview campground or the primitive camping at the White Mountain Peak trailhead.

white mountain peak hike tent — There's some basic camping and fire pits to the right of the White Mountain Peak trailhead.

Since you're driving all the way to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, I recommend continuing your journey on the spectacular Bristlecone Pine Forest Scenic Byway. It's 12 miles on an unpaved road from Schuman's Grove Visitor Center to the Patriarch Grove, where there's a self-guided nature trail and bathrooms. It's a rough road but doable in cars.

white mountain peak drive — Keep your eyes open for wildlife on the Bristlecone Pine Forest Scenic Byway. I saw dozens of mule dear and even a wild horse.

If you leave very, very early (and maybe take a nap in between), you can do this hike and hike White Mountain Peak in the same day. At 14,252 feet, White Mountain Peak is only about 250 feet lower than Mt Whitney. It's a long day, especially if you're not used to the altitude, so tread carefully and respect the symptoms of altitude sickness. Read the altitude sickness section of my Mt Whitney hike guide if you're not familiar with the symptoms.

dust on jeep — I had a nice layer of dust on the car after driving the Bristlecone Pine Forest Scenic Byway. That means it was tons of fun.

Gear For the Hike

This is a pretty standard, well-marked hike that doesn't need any specialized gear. The trail through the Bristlecone Pine groves is well marked and you don't need any hardcore mapping here.

Gear That I Love Right Now

Nothing is sponsored or promoted, just the actual gear that I use.

Garmin InReach Mini 2Hit SOS or just tell loved ones that you're running late where your cell phone has no service. Review here.

Topo Pursuit 2The best hiking footwear I've ever owned. No blisters. Get them wet, they dry quickly. Lots of cushion and comfort.

Garmin Epix ProHiking maps, route info, and fitness stats on my wrist. Review here.

Osprey Hikelite 26Lightweight, carries all your gear, and your back doesn't get sweaty. Oh yea, it's also one of the most inexpensive packs you can get.

Check out the complete list here. ( Updated October 2024)

What To Know For the Hike

Methuselah Grove — This is what the oldest trees in the world look like. You'll be walking amongst them on this hike.

Many of the Bristlecone Pine trees that you will see on this hike are thousands of years old, with the oldest being 5,066 years old. That makes it the oldest living tree on earth (as far as we know!). When that tree started growing, Stonehenge was just starting to be built. When Homer wrote the Odyssey, that tree was already 2000 years old. Crazy stuff to wrap your mind around.

The oldest trees are unmarked to protect them. And some of the dead pine trees and wood that you see are up to 10,000 years old.

The trees are Great Basin bristlecone pine tree and are unique. These Bristlecone Pines are only found in California, Nevada, and Utah between 9,800 and 11,000 feet in xeric (aka alpine desert) conditions. There are similar species found in the Rocky Mountains and the southern Sierra Nevada.

schulmans grove — I recommend taking some time to read the interpretive signs around the visitor's center.

These Bristlecone Pines grow in the white limestone soil that gives the White Mountains their name. The soil used to be underwater and is hard for plants to grow in due to its high alkalinity, giving the Bristlecone Pine an environment of less competition.

Every year the trees grow a new layer of wood under the bark. In years of high moisture, the band is thicker. Scientists have used the bands on the Bristlecone Pine to study climate change over the years.

I recommend picking up a guide book at the hike start for a small donation. The interpretive guide is great for understanding the hike on a deeper level.

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest Trail Maps

Use This Map:
View in CalTopo | PDF Map | GPX File

How Will You Navigate?

Using the Apple Watch for Hiking

Garmin Fenix 7 & Epix Review For Hikers

How To Read a Topographic Map

Garmin GPSMAP 67i Review

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest Hike 3d map — The hike does a loop after a short stretch from the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest Visitor Center. You'll get great views into Death Valley on the first part of the hike, which follows the top part of the mountain.

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest Hike elevation — The climbing isn't too tough on this hike. There's a little steep climb to start, then you hikedown into a valley, and then have to hike back up to the start.

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest Hike Directions

The hike starts at the Schulman's Grove Visitor Center. It was recently rebuilt after some jerk burnt the old one down.

schulmans grove parking — There's plenty of parking in the lots. There's a small fee that you pay in the Visitor's Center, or just use your National Parks pass.

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest Hike — The hike starts on the edge of the parking lot. You're hike is the Methuselah Walk, named after the Methuselah Tree, thought to be the world's oldest tree at 4848 years old, until an older tree was discovered in 2013. That tree is 5066 years old. You'll walk through the Methuselah Grove where all these trees live.

At about 1 mile in, stay to the left and continue on the Methuselah Walk. To the right is the Bristlecone Cabin Trail, which leads back to the Visitor's Center. If you need to bail out, you can do it here.

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This Guide Was Written by Cris Hazzard

Cris Hazzard 4 Mile Trail Yosemite
Hi, I'm Cris Hazzard, aka Hiking Guy, a professional outdoors guide, hiking expert, and author based in Southern California. I created this website to share all the great hikes I do with everyone else out there. This site is different because it gives detailed directions that even the beginning hiker can follow. I also share what hiking gear works and doesn't so you don't waste money. I don't do sponsored or promoted content; I share only the gear recommendations, hikes, and tips that I would with my family and friends. If you like the website and YouTube channel, please support these free guides (I couldn't do it without folks like you!). You can stay up to date with my new guides by following me on YouTube, Instagram, or by subscribing to my monthly newsletter.