The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is an awesome stop among the many unique stops along Highway 395. Sitting at over 10,000 ft in elevation, this beautiful ancient forest overlooks the quaint towns of Big Pine and Bishop. Here, you’ll get to see the oldest trees in the world, exceeding 4000 years old, with aged, gnarled branches. To get a glimpse into the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, the Discovery Trail, a short 1-mile loop, is a perfect trail to do so. This trail is short with minimal elevation gain, but it can still be challenging because it starts at an elevation above 10,000 ft, especially if you’re not adapted to high altitude.
Discovery Trail Trailhead:
White Mountain Rd, Bishop, CA 93514
37.385773, -118.178733
Large, paved parking lot in front of the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest Visitor Center.
6 am – 10 pm. You’ll get a fine if you are found here during closing hours.
$3.00 per person with a maximum of $6.00 per car. Children under 18 are free. You can use your Interagency Passes.
1 miles R.T.
276 ft
Easy to Moderate due to the high altitude.
About 1 hour
Pets are allowed, but they need to be on a leash.
We recommend doing the Discovery Trail in the warmer months. It can be very cold and windy at this elevation any time of year. Come prepared for cold weather.
Restrooms are at the Visitor Center and are only open during the summer season.
There is no food, water, gas, or cell reception available. So, make sure to fill up your gas and bring everything you need.
The Discovery Trail trailhead is located at Schulman Grove in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. The trailhead is right outside the Visitor Center, at the parking lot. You can GPS your way here by searching for the Visitor Center. Make sure to have a full tank of gas from Big Pine as well as enough food and water. The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is very remote without any necessities.
Also, the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest Scenic Byway closes in the winter, with snowfall and/or inclement weather. Before going, please make sure to check for road conditions. You can do so by either calling the Inyo National Forest office at 760-873-2400 or the White Mountain Ranger Station at 760-873-2500.
On our way home from Mammoth Lakes, we wanted to check out the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. However, we didn’t have a lot of time to do longer hikes. Thankfully, the short Discovery Trail was perfect. It’s short enough to fit into our timeline, but diverse enough to give us a glimpse of what the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is all about. The trailhead for the Discovery Trail starts right in front of the Visitor Center. It is right next to the trailhead for the longer 5-mile Methuselah Trail. Even though the Discovery Trail at the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is a loop, most people will start here instead of the other way around.
The Discovery Trail loop at the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is mostly straightforward with no intersections. As soon as we leave the trailhead, the trail immediately starts its ascent. In 0.5 miles, you’ll be gaining a little over 200ft of elevation. Even though that doesn’t seem much, at an altitude of over 10,000 ft, we definitely were breathing heavy. Along the way, there are many informative signs to help you learn about the area.
The further we hiked, the more interesting the trees became. About 0.25 miles, we came across our first twisted bristlecones. It’s fascinating to learn how unique the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is. Sitting at 10,000ft elevation in the White Mountains, this area is unusual because it’s located between the tall peaks 14,000ft+ of the Sierra Nevada and the below sea level -282ft elevation of Death Valley.
With the dry weather and sun exposure, the trees at Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest have evolved to survive a barren environment. The trees’ roots are close to the surface, allowing them to absorb the rare water and moisture before it evaporates. They also have dense, hard wood that is more resistant to insects and diseases. The bristlecone trees’ twisted appearance is normal. If their trunks have disease or damage from severe weather, these trees can close their trunk off to save energy on the new growth. This is why many trees here may seem dead at first, but sections of them are still alive. And they can live for a very long time! It’s fascinating, really.
As we hiked up the switchbacks on the Discovery Trail at the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, we took our time to breathe and also to admire the beautiful, unique bristlecone pines. Soon, the trail heads into the grove. Here, there are at least a dozen or so gnarled, thousands of years old trees for us to take many photos. It would have been super cool to be here at night when the stars lit up the dark sky.
After the sign for the summit, the trail starts its descent. It weaves through a large area full of slate rocks. Make sure to watch your steps here. It’s pretty easy to slip on the rock path. Along the way, the weathered bristlecones dotted the trail. This section is where you can find two of the most photographed trees in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. You won’t miss them. Just the sheer size and the way the trees are twisted, it was really interesting.
Once we leave these two bristlecones, the Discovery Trail at the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest continues its descent along the slate rock section before leading down to the parking lot. If you love ancient trees, we love the Congress Trail in Sequoia National Park, and the General Grant Tree and Big Stump trails in Kings Canyon National Park. If you’re traveling along Highway 395, check out some of our favorite stops, including the Fossil Falls, Crowley Lake Column, Mammoth Lakes, Hot Springs, and Mono Lake!
Happy Adventuring. Don’t forget to check out the related posts below for more inspiration on your upcoming adventures. While at it, follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel! We’ll love you forever!
These are the gear that we personally use and find helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
Our favorite biodegradable, eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen!
This is Vy's favorite hiking bag! It has tons of room for snacks and water!
It's always good to bring a GPS tracker with you. We use the Garmin inReach.
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
If you tend to have foot blisters on hikes, get this! We use this all the time.
These hiking poles are sturdy, and great to help keep your balance on short or longer hikes
Compact GoPro pole that extends to 25", perfect to bring on your adventure.
This is our go-to camera for all of our adventures. It comes with us everywhere!
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Hi! We are Dustin & Vy, the proud creators of Live That Adventure. We created this website because we wanted to inspire others to live their lives to the fullest. On here, you’ll find everything from hiking, canyoneering, kayaking, and snorkeling to adventure and travel tips, gear reviews, and bucket list items such as bungee jumping or wing walking. We’ll show you the ropes so you can do them too!
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