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The Bristlecone Pine trees are
the oldest continuously standing living trees on the planet.
Note the root system of a Norway Spruce tree in Sweden has been
found to be almost 10,000 years old!
To get to the Bristle Cone Forest take the
395 south to the 168 which is Westgard Pass. At the junction of 395 and
168 you will find a small park and information center. Here you can read
a little bit about the Bristle cone Pines and the surrounding area.
There is also a giant sequoia present which supposedly was planted to
commemorate the opening of Westgard Pass. This tree is named after Teddy
Roosevelt.
Turn left onto 168 and drive for about 15 or so miles until you reach
the turn off for the Bristle cone Forest. This turnoff is just past the
summit elevation of Westgard Pass which is around 7200 feet. NOTE: be
extremely careful when you drive back down the Westgard Pass.
This is
one of the steepest roads I have been on, outside of San Francisco and
the brakes can easily overheat if you use
them too much. I highly recommend taking your time
driving down and gearing down to very low gears. Several times I have
seen smoking brakes and smelled the terrible smell of burnt out brakes
at the bottom of the pass. |
There are several campgrounds located in and near the park. Four
campgrounds are located at the junction of Highway 168 (Westgard Pass)
and White Mountain Road (the road that leads through the actual Bristle
cone Forest). These particular campgrounds are named Fossil, Pinyon,
Poleta, and Juniper. They sit at an elevation of approximately 7200
feet. A bit further north on White Mountain Road you will find another
campground called Grandview Campground which lies at an elevation of
approximately 8600 feet. For campground reservations you can call
877.444.6777 or visit a list of all
Inyo
National Forest Campgrounds here.
The Bristle cone Pines are the oldest trees in the world. In fact the
oldest living tree in the world is called Methuselah and he is almost
4800 years old! Note: a tree named Prometheus, was
cut down in 1964 near Wheeler Peak in Nevada and was supposedly older
than Methuselah.
There are over 20 trees in this grove that are over
4,000 years old. Dr. Edmund Schulman of the University of Arizona first
discovered these trees in 1953 after hearing rumors of the ancient
trees. Scientists have discovered wood from the Bristle cone trees in
this area that
is almost 10,000 years old. Using a particular cross dating method based
on radiocarbon dating they have been able to accurately date ancient
artifacts found in Europe.
The main visitor center located at Schulman Grove has several excellent
pictorial displays that show other activities that were happening
elsewhere in the world as the Bristle cone trees were beginning their
life. One chart shows particular pines already several hundred years old
as the Egyptians were beginning to construct their great pyramids.
Besides the excellent educational displays the visitor centers sells
bottled water and other miscellaneous snacks, photographs, and other art
forms depicting the Bristle cone pine. You will want to purchase your
park pass here as well. It costs $3 per person, with a maximum fee of $5
per car.
NOTE: There is no gas, phone or water available in the Bristle
cone Park. There is one spot along the road that is labeled as having
good cell service. This is about 2-3 miles before you reach the main
visitor's center.
From the visitor center it is about a 4.5 mile easy hike roundtrip along
the Methuselah trail. Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you
look at it this tree is cloaked in a veil of secrecy and it is not
identified. From the visitor center you can also choose shorter hikes -
the Discovery trail is 1 mile and the Bristlecone Cabin trail is 2 miles
round trip.
Another shorter hike but located at a higher elevation is the
Patriarch Grove hike. This is located 12 miles on the main dirt
road from the Schulman Grove. Just before you climb up to the
grove you will drive on a mile or so section of pavement. At
this site you will find several hundred feet from the small
dirt/rock parking lot the largest Bristle cone pine in the
world.
It is labeled along with several other
pines in the vicinity. A 1/4 mile trail winds through these high elevation pines.
Elevation here ranges from 11,400 to about 11,500 feet. |
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The Bristlecone Pine road is very windy and steep in places from the
Westgard turnout - but it is paved to the Schulman grove. From this
grove you can drive another 12 miles higher into the mountains on a dirt
road. Sometimes during the winter the Bristlecone Pine road is closed at
a gate just in a little from the Westgard Pass turnoff. The visitor
center at Schulman grove is staffed 7 days a week during the summer
months - from mid June until the end of September.
For more information you can visit the Inyo National Forest web site at
www.r5.fs.fed.us/inyo
or you can call 760.873.2500 - choose option 2. You may also write them at:
Bristle cone Pine Forest Manager 798 North Main Bishop, CA 93514
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