Home to the oldest trees in the world, bristlecone pines, some exceeding 4000 years of age and exhibit spectacular growth forms of twisted and beautifully colored wood and includes several self guided trails

How to Get There

From Bishop (38 mi): Head east on W Line St toward Fulton St. Turn right onto US-395 S/S Main St. Continue to follow US-395 S. Turn left onto CA-168 E. Turn left onto White Mountain Rd. Continue straight to stay on White Mountain Rd. Turn right. Turn left.

Overview

The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is a protected area high in the White Mountains in Inyo County in eastern California. The forest is east of the Owens Valley, high on the eastern face of the White Mountains in the upper Fish Lake-Soda Spring Watershed, above the northernmost reach of the Mojave Desert into Great Basin ecotone.

Pinus longaeva

The Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva) trees grow between 9,800 and 11,000 feet (3,000-3,400 m) above sea level, in xeric alpine conditions, protected within the Inyo National Forest. Limber pine (Pinus flexilis) also grow in the forest.

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Methuselah

The Methuselah Grove in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is the location of the "Methuselah", a Great Basin bristlecone pine that is 4,852 years old. It is considered to be the world's oldest known and confirmed living non-clonal organism. "Methuselah" is not marked in the forest, to ensure added protection.

Visiting

The Schulman and Patriarch groves are located about 30 mi (48 km) from Bishop, California. The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is generally open from mid-May through the end of November, weather permitting. Schulman Grove and Schulman Grove Visitor Center offers daily interpretive talks and natural history lectures mid-June through Labor Day, and three self-guided trails to explore. The trails begin and end at the visitor center parking area and have interpretive signs and rest benches. The Patriarch Grove is the home of the world's largest bristlecone pine, the Patriarch Tree, and also includes a self-guided nature trail. Parking for the grove is at the end of the Bristlecone Pine Forest Scenic Byway at 11,000 ft. elevation. The final 13 miles of this road are unpaved.A speed limit of 15 mph is suggested to avoid flat tires punctured by the sharp rocks on this road. The Methuselah Grove trail starts from the visitor center at 9,846 feet and makes a 4.5-mile (7.2 km) loop that includes the side valley of the Methuselah Grove where the oldest tree lives, a high section looking out eastward over Nevada's basin-and-range region, and side trails to old mining sites.

This article uses material from the fs.usda.gov website "Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest"

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0