bristlecone trails

Admittedly, from a distance, they don't LOOK especially impressive. In fact, they look like rather ordinary trees. But once you get up close next to them, once you see how knotted and gnarled they are, once you start reading individual stories on the adjacent placards, you can't help but be amazed. What is even more amazing is that in spite of their age, the trees still have soft, beautiful, green needles (Yes, you're allowed to touch the trees. No, don't you dare deface them) The hike there is lovely and not all that challenging, except for the high altitude that makes the air very thin. This is definitely one of the main reasons I added Great Basin to my travel itinerary, and did not disappoint!

I have taken this trail many times and I love the scenery, the clean air and the ancient tree!. This hike starts from a good parking lot and winds gradually uphill for a ways through the forest. You cross a slope and round a bend to the Bristlecone Pine trees. These trees are so unique and wonderful colors. As always a good idea to take water!

The trail can be a little rocky in places but my nine and ten year old had no problem navigating the path. The bristlecone loop is amazing. The sheer ancestry of these trees, some over 3000 years old, is very humbling. The loop has many informational signs and was perfect for kids and adults. Take some water and go for it!

The Bristlecone Pine forest that clings to life along the rocky talus next to Wheeler Peak is old. Very old in fact. At one time, this grove of gnarled ancient trees contained the oldest living thing in the world! A grad student discovered the 5,000 year old Prometheus tree in the 60's and tried to take a core sample to help determine climate change during the last ice age. He broke two core samplers and asked permission to cut the tree down to continue his research. At the time, the national park was still just part of the forest service, and the warden complied with the request to saw down the unlucky tree. Unbelievable. Oldest living thing! Grad students... Anyway, the stump and remains of the old tree can still be discovered today. Comb the internet and you may stumble upon it's exact location, although it's up for debate. I looked for about an hour but the rocky moraine was covered in snow and I couldn't locate it. While the trees are majestic and fascinating, the highlight for me was the glacier. We chose to combine the Bristlecone and Glacier trails together for a 5 mile round trip hike. The cirque at the base of Wheeler Peak casts a shadow onto the rock-covered ice mound and you can climb right up onto it. The snow storm was receding, the air was still, and the shadows darkened an already ominous setting. It was really something you have to experience in person. We used headlamps to hike back to the parking lot which heightened the effect. Take your time on this one and do it in early summer. Good luck finding Prometheus.

This is a must see if you are visiting the Great Basin National Park. The fact that you are looking at trees that are thousands of years old is quite a humbling experience. The hike to the trees is fine just as long as you take your time and make sure that you wear sensible shoes and take lots of water. An experience not to be missed.

Seeing 2-3,000 year old trees was one of the reasons we went out of our way to get to Great Basin National Park. This hike is definitely worth it!We first attempted this trail too close to evening and had to turn back before we reached the ancient trees. Neither of us knew what a bristlecone pine looked like, so we looked at every tree and wondered if it was an old one or not. We redid the hike the next day and finally arrived at the official bristlecone pine section. You'll know you're there when you see the signs. The signs were informative and we took some great photos.The hike itself wasn't that interesting until we got to the pines. It felt longer to me than it actually was, perhaps because I'm a life-long sea level dweller and not used to high elevations at all - or maybe it just took a long time because we dawdled trying to figure out what kinds of trees we were looking at.

Hiking to take in these ancient, and I do mean ancient trees, is more like a pilgrimage than a hike. You have to be really jaded not to be amazed at seeing these hearty specimens of life that are literally thousands of years old and surviving at these extremes. Go and get in touch with the universe.

It was a beautiful trail - however we tried it right after the road opened in May, and found out quickly that snowshoes would have been a great idea, or at the very least, gaiters. It is short, not very much elevation gain, and a beautiful view of mountain lakes, mountains, and of course, the bristlecone pines.

Allow 2 1/2 to 3 hours roundtrip from the cave parking lot. Avoid trail if there is lightning in the area.

Very rocky, and difficult in just a few spots, otherwise the trail is manageable. Took about 2 hours up and 1/2 hour to come down. Take your camera and some water and sunscreen.

This is my first time to see a Bristlecone in person but it's something I've been wanting to do since seeing photos of them in National Geographic. hence I can't compare against the other groves. The Bristlecone loop itself is very small so, as others have noted, tag on the Alpine Lakes and The Glacier Trail and you've got a pleasant and easy hike with which to while away a few hours.If you can, tag along with one of the rangers or buttonhole one and get the low-down on these amazing trees. I mean, if you could live to be 3200 years old as one of these trees was (RIP Prometheus), then people would want to know about you too!As "ugly" as some of these trees are, they possess a certain beauty. Take time to look how time and conditions have weathered these trees. They are amazing creatures and they speak volumes for how evolution has allowed these unique trees to exploit a niche in an otherwise inhospitable environment.

We camped at Wheeler Peak so the trail head was not far from our campsite. Great hike with views of Wheeler. We made it up to the self guided trail where a lot of the trees are. Even when they die the trees will remain upright for over a thousand years. Very tough environment up there.

Not the best bristlecone forest we've seen (the best is in the White Mountains in California. But if you combine this hike with Alpine Lakes and Glacier trails for a little over 5 miles total length and maybe 1000' elevation gain, it is absolutely worth it. 3 or 4 very different spectacular environments.