Bishop, CA #1 - Day Trip to Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest

GET-YUR-MOTOR-RUNNIN'  ROAD TRIP

(Astoria - Santa Fe - Death Valley - Astoria)

Bishop, CA to Bristlecone Pine Forest

November 19, 2013  (Day 36 of 44)

Miles Today: 77 / Trip Miles: 3,995

Click on Map to Make Larger

Route To Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest:
From Bishop (elevation 4,200 ft), I headed south on U.S. Highway 395 en route to the Schulman Grove (9,800+ ft elevation) in the White Mountains. Schulman Grove is part of the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest located in the Inyo National Forest. The Owens Valley was cloudy, with temperatures in high 40s F. The initial terrain is arid brushland. The highway passes an array of radio telescopes to the east along the base of the White Mountains. The Owens Valley Radio Observatory, an array of six high-accuracy radio telescopes, is operated by California Institute of Technology. At Big Pine, I headed east on CA-168 into the White Mountains. This highway crosses over the narrow Owens River and passes by a road to Death Valley heading southeast marked "Pavement Ends". Highway 168 has lots of dips and curves, a steep 8-percent grade and follows a dry creek bed as it climbs into the White Mountains. After sharp curves and deep dips, a sign warns that the "Road Narrows" and the highway changes to a permanent, one-lane section for a short distance through a narrow rock canyon. The terrain again changes to a sparse forest of Pinyon pines & Utah junipers. Continuing on, a road sign advises that "Snow Not Removed From This Point". There are less and less trees and the elevation is 9,000 feet.  

The road to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest from Highway 168 is closed during the winter, and is normally open from May through November. As I entered the bristlecone pine forest, temperatures were in the mid-30 degrees F, and the wind was blowing.

Bristlecone Pines:
Bristlecone pines live longer than any other known organism—over 5,000 years. The name comes from the prickles on the female cones. Bristlecones grow in scattered groves just below the tree line at high altitude (5,600 - 11,200 feet elevation) in arid regions of the western United States. Because of cold temperatures, dry soils, high winds, and short growing seasons, the trees grow very slowly. A bristlecone pine tree located in the White Mountains was determined to be 5,063 years old—the location of the tree is a secret. This is the oldest known individual tree in the world. Though it is the oldest, there are several clonal colonies—which are made up of genetically identical trees connected by a single root system—that are much older. A Norway spruce clonal tree in Sweden is 9,550 years old.

Schulman Grove:
The visitor center (elevation 9,800 feet) was closed for the winter, and only two cars were in the parking lot. I hiked for a few hours—Bristlecone Cabin Trail & Methuselah Trail. The Methuselah Grove contains an unmarked 4,600 year-old bristlecone pine tree. From along the Bristlecone Cabin Trail, I watched the sunset over the Sierras—a wonderful vista. I hiked out after enjoying the twilight, arriving at the parking lot just before total darkness. The temperature was in low 30s F.  This is an incredible area to visit, next time I need to arrive earlier! On the drive back to Bishop, the city lights of Bishop were visible in the valley below.

Photos:
Click on photo for a larger image.
All photos © 2014 Leon Jackson. All Rights Reserved. 

Golden Pine
Sun, wind, ice and age created the golden, polished surface of this bristlecone pine tree. 
[flickr]

Old Roots

Fallen bristlecone pine tree—the oldest living bristlecone pines are more than 5,000 years old.

[flickr]

Miner's Cabin
This cabin in the bristlecone pine forest dates back to the 1860s.
[flickr]

Decaying Pine Tree
Fallen & decaying bristlecone pine tree.
[flickr]

High Sierra Escarpment At Dusk
High Sierras and Owens Valley at twilight viewed from the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest (elevation 10,000 ft) in the White Mountains. 
 [flickr]

Today's Day Trip:
Scenic Rating: A-
Driving Fun/Road Rating: A-

Tomorrow:
Day trip into the Eastern Sierras.