Continuing on my weekend spent in Eastern California, my main destination was the Bristlecone Pine Forest high up in the White Mountains, Inyo County, California.
The bristlecone pines are know for their age, the oldest trees on earth, and their gnarly appearance. The age and appearance are due to the high altitude, 9,800 - 11,000 feet, and the inhospitable, dolomite soil they grow in.
The forest is prized for having the oldest living tree in the world, among its many other ancients. The tree, known as the Methuselah, is estimated to be 4850 years old. It's identity is protected to keep vandals from harming it and even I don't know which tree it is.
Getting to the Bristlecone Pine Forest is quite a drive. It's 5 hours from L.A. or 1 hour from Bishop, CA, the nearest big city.
The first leg of the drive up the mountains is an 8% grade, hell on your brakes on the way down, and full of twists and turns. Any car can make it there, but be sure your brakes are ok for the trip down.
Oh ya, there is a small section where the road becomes 1 lane too.
Arriving you can either park at the Visitor's Center or continue on to the Patriarch Grove 12 miles down a bumpy, dirt road. We'll visit the incredible Patriarch Grove in the last post in this series.
The weather up here is a good 20 degrees different than down in the Owen's valley so keep that in mind when visiting. It was about 80 degrees with a light breeze when I went in August so it was nice for hiking.
Since there are two groves here, The Schulman(East) & The Methuselah(West) I recommend spending a few minutes in the Visitors Center/gift shop. There you can learn about the various trails in the area as well as the trees and geology.
However if you just want to go find some awesome trees here is a short cut.
Two of the most picturesque trees are located very close to the parking lot. The one on the left is often mistaken as the Methuselah, but the Methuselah is located in the Methuselah Grove on the opposite side of the parking lot than the Schulman Grove where these two are located.
Anyway, they are located by the road as you come into the parking lot. The first trail, The Discovery Trail, on the left side of the parking lot will take you to them. It's about a 5-10 minute walk depending on what kind of shape you are in. Remember, this spot is 10,000 feet high and you are hiking up hill a bit to get to these two trees.
The trees are such a pleasure to look at and ponder. These two trees could have been around when the Pyramids of Giza were built, or when Alexander The Great & Darius The Great were marching across the world. Time moves much slower up here.
The trees' unique, twisted shape means every tree is different. Many look like they have arms that are reaching out to catch a poor passer by.
Honestly, between these two you could spend an hour juxtaposing one with the other or the landscape.
Unfortunately for me there was a fire in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the other side of the valley that blanketed the area in smoke, so long photo's weren't possible. I did get some nice close ups though.
If you plan on visiting the Bristlecone Pine Forest I recommend spending a whole day there. There are so many trees to explore and take pictures of just in the two groves here. There is also a cool old mine to check out, The Mexican Mine from 1863, which I'll write about next. Here's a peek.
Until then, thanks for reading!
For information on the Bristlecone Pine Forest you can visit https://www.bishopvisitor.com/activities/bristlecone-forest/
All pictures taken with my iPhone Xs.
