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Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest
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10 reviews for Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest
California is home to a number of superlatives. The tallest mountain in the continuous 48 states is Mt. Whitney (on the other side of the valley from the bristlecones), the world's largest living thing is the General Sherman sequoia (on the other side of the Sierra Nevada Range on the other side of the valley from the bristlecones), the lowest spot in the western hemisphere (on the other side of the White Mountains from the bristlecones) all call California their home. Well, if they could talk they would, anyway. So why not see the world's oldest living creatures-- the bristlecone pines?
To get there head up CA 168 east out of Big Pine all the way up to White Mountain Road, hang a left, and follow up to the Schulman Grove. It's about 22 miles from I-395 in Big Pine, and it takes about 45 minutes to an hour in decent weather. CA 168 gets really narrow in parts, so take your time and drive safely.
The Schulman Grove visitor center has been replaced temporarily with a trailer. There you can pay the day use fee, buy souvenirs, and watch an informative video. Near the trailer is a loop trail that will take you through the forest. It's usually dry in the summer, even if it's not very hot at 10,500 feet, so bring water. If you're anemic, you may want to bring oxygen or walk very slowly.
Unless you're used to the high altitude, take your time on the walk. Enjoy watching the stately trees and observing the squirrels trying to steal a piece of fruit one of your fellow visitors carelessly left sitting on a bench. Just think about all the things that have happened over the past few thousand years as the trees slowly grew in this harsh environment. Wooowww-- I just blew my mind!
If you want to take the "short cut" into Bishop via Silver Canyon Road, make sure you're driving a 4WD vehicle with decent clearance. There are a number of "FOUR WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE ONLY" signs on the road, and you'll find they're not there for decoration. We only had an AWD Subaru Outback, and some parts of the road/trail were pretty hairy. At least we got to see some big horn sheep on the side of the road on the way down. If I'd have known better I probably would have taken CA 168 back to Big Pine and the 395 up to Bishop. Live and learn, eh?
Some of the oldest trees, or single living things for that matter, are found in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. Some of the Bristlecone Pines growing here are over 4000 years old. They were alive when the Egyptians were constructing the pyramids. And they've continued to live through the rise and fall of so many empires. Just chilling in the White Mountains while history rolls on.
Schulman Grove, around 10,000' elevation, contains some of the oldest trees identified my Dr. Schulman. However, to prevent vandalism, the oldest tree, Methuseleh, is not identified.
If you continue on past Schulman Grove, you can drive up an unpaved road, which is in pretty good condition for the most part, up to Patriarch Grove. I think the Bristlecone Pines up in Partriarch Grove are more photogenic, partly because the trees here are less crowded. One reason for this is that Patriarch Grove is at around 11,200' elevation, which is near the limit of the Bristlecone Pine's range. You can also see the largest Bristlecone Pine here, called the Patriarch.
I ended up hiking all the trails in both groves, and spent additional time trying to find likely Methuselah candidates, so about 8 miles in all. The trails are not difficult and are suitable for families. Longest trail is a little over 4 miles.
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The whole area of the White Mountains is just so cool and it's a darn shame that the visitors center burned down - I love going in there to just browse around. These Bristlecone pine trees are old - downright ancient! Everybody needs to see these magnificent trees.
So sad! Schulman Visitor Center burned to the ground on Thurs 9/4/08, just a few days after we visited it. Awful news.
http://www.ksrw.sierra...
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/2/2008
We hiked the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in Bishop to get acclimated for our White Mountain… Read more »
That's awful news about the visiting center, it was very nice.
This is an amazing site. Everyone must go. It's a great hike. It's just beautiful.
a true treasure, y'all need to see this area. bummed about the VC, hope volunteer donations can get this repaired. MORE than worth the side trip if you're in the vicinity of Bishop & can spend a day out & about.
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Climbing Mt. Whitney Through Inyo National Forest
Mt. Whitney. 14,495 feet high. The highest mountain in the contiguous United States. It's located in Sequoia National Park, however, the most conventional way to get there is through Lone Pine, California, southeast of the park. The trailhead is actually in Inyo National Forest, however at Trail Crest, 13,600 feet high, the trail converges over to Sequoia National Park. It is gorgeous, awe-inspiring, challenging- far more than amazing.
Lone Pine is a small cute Western town, pretty much in the middle of nowhere at about 3000 feet above sea level. There are several restaurants that provide that ever-wonderful tasting cold beer after a long hike on the mountain. There's also a fun 3-par golf course worth checking out. The altitude does make your balls go further!! There are a few motels around, but I think that's mostly because Lone Pine is a place you fuel up on and buy your souvenirs before and after camping out. It's also where you get your hiking/camping permits at the local Ranger station.
To get to the mountain, you first get to drive through the "Alabama Hills", hills you will find very familiar if you've ever seen an old western movie. This is where they filmed many a John Wayne flick, and even part of Gladiator was filmed here.
At Whitney Portal, 8000 feet above sea level, you'll find running water, washrooms, and a supply store/snack bar. There's a beautiful stream and waterfall. There is nothing like hearing rushing water while you're sleeping. At the Portal, there are several camping sites that require permits. Many people come up here for the day, to hike the Whitney trail, or simply to take in the view as you head back down the mountain to Lone Pine.
If you do want to venture up the mountainside, you need to be well prepared and in shape. It's as much mental as it is physical. Because of the high altitude, you have to have more than physical strength. I run about 3 miles a day and it's still hard. With a 30-pound pack, I had to breathe hard and drink as much water as possible to avoid altitude sickness.
Two miles up the trail is Lone Pine Lake. If you look at the lake from the trail, the water reflects the sky above and you can't even tell that it's a lake and not the edge of the cliff. Fish can be seen jumping in the water and the redwood trees are beautifully placed along the water's edge. Depending on how quickly you want to reach the top, or if you are only going as far as the lake, this is a great place to camp out.
One more mile up (so now we're about 3 miles up the trail) is Outpost Camp. It's about 10,000 feet high, and on the edge of a meadow. There is a stream that flows nearby and there are solar "bathrooms", if you can call them that... This was where we camped out the last time we climbed Whitney- one day to Outpost, the next day to the summit and back to Outpost, and the third day back down to the Portal.
About a half mile past Outpost Camp is Mirror Lake. And it is just that. The lake is surrounded by the mountain range and reflects them perfectly. I've seen people fishing in the pond, but I don't think they had much luck. It is a great place to have a snack on the ascent.
Two and a half more miles up (that makes a total of 6 miles from the trail head) is Trail Camp. By now, you're at 12,000 feet and well above the tree line. At 11,000 feet, the altitude can really kick in and sickness, including headache and nausea, can really start to get to you. This is where water and breathing really become important. There is another "bathroom" and a small pond. Last time we were up there, my dad had to use his ice axe to break the sheet of ice on the pond so that we could get water. This is the last place to get water before the summit.
A few important reminders as you enter the park-
- You must have a permit from the Ranger station. You do not want to get caught without one.
- You must have a bear-proof food container- one for every two people hiking. If you try to hang your food up in a tree, the rangers will take it down if they see it, or an animal will get to it- I've seen both happen.
- There are bears down at Whitney Portal. You will want to make sure that you take any item that has any scent to it (car fresheners, makeup, food wrappers, etc) and put it in the "bear-proof lockers" provided. The last thing you want is a bear ripping off your car door to get at suspected food!
- If you are planning on hiking to Whitney, the best advise I can give (besides getting into shape) is to breathe deeply, all the time, and drink as much water as possible- one liter per hour of hiking is best
- Because of the high elevations, I would not recommend bringing children, even teenagers under 16 years old up to hike Whitney. As a day trip, certainly, but not for any longer than 8 hours.
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The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is a part of the larger Inyo National Forest, administered from Bishop. The Bristlecone Pine part is about 25 miles east of Big Pine, and is a separate (and protected) entity.
Why go here, a bit off the road if you are traversing US-395?
Bristlecone Pines are found only in the western US, and the ones in this forest are THE OLDEST LIVING THINGS ON EARTH. That's right -- some over 3,000 (not a typo) years old.
The other reason is that the trip up to forest, at over 10,000 feet altitude in the White Mountain range, is simply spectacular.
The visitors' center is nice, but to gain the real impact of being here, bring your hiking shoes. And everything else. There is literally nothing on this mountain except trees -- no food, no gas, not even phones. But it is an adventure not to be missed.
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This is definitely a must stop for outdoor/nature lover's or anyone that wants to be awed by something that's been around since ancient times. As stated in other reviews, many trees are over 3,000 years old. And they're still alive. Very impressive. The old ones almost appear to be dead trunks but the little green tufts tell you there's still life yet in those limbs. The dicovery trail is the way to go if you have not acclaimated to the +10,000 feet altitude. It's a 1 mile loop across some fine examples of the forest with a nice view of the Owen's Valley at the top of the trail.
It is really a shame the visitor center burned down. Very suspicious. The good news is none of the trees were lost.
Be sure to bring lots of water. The dry air and altitude can make you dehydrated and there's no potable water at the trailhead.
A vibrant and hefty wood-log visitor center burned to the ground here in September 2008. It appeared rather new and one would've expected the structure to stand for many years. Juxtapose that mental image with the trees of the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest which surround the former center and are over 3,000 years old. Indeed, one tree, the aptly-name Methusaleh Tree, is over 4,750 years old. Of course, no one will tell you which tree it is and you probably wouldn't recognize it if you stood in front of it. None of that really matters, though. The Methusaleh Trail, a long winding trail that takes you over a mountain and exposes you to sterling vistas, will guide you through groves of seemingly dead and twisted trees that are actually alive and, indeed, the oldest living things on the planet. The maxim that it's better to look good than to feel good does not apply to these trees, some of which appear as no more than standing pieces of firewood.