Nature venue
Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest
24 locals recommend
Tips from locals
Andrea
December 28, 2017
These are the oldest trees in the world. Some of these living trees exceed 4000 years of age and exhibit spectacular growth forms of twisted and beautifully colored wood.
Sarah & Jaime
August 15, 2018
The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is home to the oldest trees in the world, bristlecone pines. Some of these living trees exceed 4000 years of age and exhibit spectacular growth forms of twisted and beautifully colored wood.
Irene
May 28, 2015
Oldest, and I think, most beautiful trees in the world! Trees can be over 4,000 years old and were used to calibrate radiocarbon dating methods. The map shows it in the wrong location, ask us!
Stephanie
April 24, 2021
Getting here is more of a destination than a side-trip but so worth it to stand next to the oldest living things on earth!
Jill And Tracy
November 28, 2020
The trees of the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the White Mountains roughly an hour’s drive to the east of Bishop are the oldest recorded living thing on earth. A millennium older than the Giant Sequoia trees in the nearby Sierra, many are well over 2,000 years old and the “Methuselah” tree in Schulman Grove is dated at more than 4,773 years old. These trees were young and growing at the time stone axes were being used in Europe, the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) was being built, and cuneiform clay tablets were being used in northern Syria. Bristlecone pines (Pinus longaeva & aristata) grow in the White Mountains at elevations 9,000 to over 11,000 feet. The oldest trees grow on outcrops of dolomite, an alkaline calcareous, low nutrient soil. Only on the alkaline dolomite will you find pure, relatively dense stands of Bristlecone pine.
The trees of the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the White Mountains roughly an hour’s drive to the east of Bishop are the oldest recorded living thing on earth. A millennium older than the Giant Sequoia trees in the nearby Sierra, many are well over 2,000 years old and the “Methuselah” tree in S…
Locals also recommend
Location
White Mountain Road
Bishop, CA