Tim Kizirian Hikes the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest: Trails, History, and the Oldest Living Tree on Earth

By Daniel Carter — Northern California Outdoors & Lifestyle Writer

When most hikers think of California trails, their minds go to Yosemite waterfalls or redwood groves along the coast. But Tim Kizirian has always veered off the beaten path. On a recent trip east of Bishop, he set his sights on the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest—home to some of the oldest living organisms on earth.

At over 10,000 feet, the White Mountains host groves of bristlecone pines whose twisted trunks and gnarled branches have withstood thousands of years of wind, snow, and sun. It’s not an easy place to hike: the thin air makes every step a reminder of altitude’s effect on the body. But for Tim, that challenge only added to the awe of walking among trees that have stood since before recorded history.

Adjusting to the Altitude

The first thing you notice when hiking here isn’t the trees—it’s your lungs. At elevations between 9,800 and 11,500 feet, the oxygen content is far lower than at sea level.

“If you’re not acclimatized, it feels like you’re carrying a backpack full of bricks,” Tim said. “The key is pacing yourself, especially on that first day. Take it slow. The trees aren’t going anywhere.”

For visitors coming straight from lower elevations like Los Angeles or the Bay Area, this advice matters. Spend a night in Bishop (elevation ~4,100 feet) before heading up to the forest, and hydrate well. The high desert dryness can sneak up on you as quickly as the altitude.

The Discovery Trail and the Sentinel

Tim began his exploration with the Discovery Trail, a manageable loop that starts near the Schulman Grove Visitor Center. This short trail offers one of the forest’s most famous residents: the Sentinel.

“The ranger pointed it out, saying, ‘That’s our star attraction here,’” Tim recalled. Unlike Methuselah—whose exact location is kept secret to protect it—the Sentinel is proudly displayed and easy to admire. Standing tall with its weathered form, it embodies the resilience of bristlecones, trees that can survive for thousands of years in conditions where few other plants endure.

While the Discovery Trail is just a mile long, its elevation and uneven footing make it a surprisingly serious hike. The views, though—overlooking the Owens Valley and Sierra Nevada beyond—remind you why the bristlecones chose this mountaintop as home.

The Methuselah Trail and the Oldest Tree on Earth

From there, Tim tackled the longer Methuselah Trail, a 4.5-mile loop winding through some of the oldest known bristlecone groves. The main draw here is, of course, Methuselah, the oldest living tree on earth at over 4,800 years old.

Hikers won’t find a sign pointing it out. Its identity is kept hidden to protect it from vandals and overzealous visitors. Still, walking the trail in search of Methuselah is part of the experience—a quiet pilgrimage through ancient, sculpted trunks and ridgelines. And if you take the trail, you DO walk right past it.

What fascinated Tim most wasn’t just the tree itself but its scientific legacy. Methuselah has been studied extensively, with core samples taken to the University of Arizona’s Tree-Ring Laboratory. Those samples became crucial for calibrating radiocarbon dating worldwide.

“Those tree rings are used to correct the Carbon-14 machines that so many labs depend on,” Tim explained. “They already showed how off the results could be, some suggesting articles are millions of years old when something might only be thousands. Methuselah tells the truth. It blows your mind.”

Shakespeare was right: "...many are the uses of adversity."

As someone who earned his PhD in Accounting at the University of Arizona, Tim couldn’t help but smile at the irony. “I wish I had been more curious back then, to walk across campus and see what they were doing in the lab. They were literally rewriting how we understand time.”

Fall Colors and Eastern Sierra Beauty

Tim’s visit came a little too early for peak fall colors, but he still felt the pull of the season in the Eastern Sierra. While the bristlecones themselves grow high above the tree line, the valleys below—near Bishop, North Lake, and Lake Sabrina—explode in gold and crimson each October as aspens turn.

“It’s one of the most beautiful contrasts in California,” Tim said. “Up here, it’s stark, ancient, almost lunar. Down there, it’s a riot of color. Together, they show you the whole spectrum of Sierra beauty.”

Tips for Visiting the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest

For those inspired to follow in Tim’s footsteps, a few tips can make the trip smoother:

• Start at Schulman Grove Visitor Center. Open on weekends during the summer and early fall, the center provides maps, exhibits, and rangers who share stories about the trees.
• Pack snacks and water. At high altitude, you’ll burn energy quickly and need constant hydration. Tim carried light snacks to sustain him on the Methuselah Trail.
• Dress for changing weather. Even in August, the White Mountains can swing from warm sun to sudden chill. Layers are essential.
• Weekends vs. weekdays. While weekends mean the visitor center is open, weekdays are quieter on the trails if you prefer solitude.
• Know your limits. Altitude sickness is real. Turn back if you feel dizzy, nauseous, or unusually fatigued.

Patriarch Grove and Beyond

For the truly adventurous, the journey doesn’t stop at Schulman Grove. With a high-clearance 4WD vehicle, hikers can drive farther up the rugged dirt road to Patriarch Grove, home to the world’s largest bristlecone pine. The grove sits at 11,000 feet and feels even more remote and otherworldly than the lower trails.

Beyond Patriarch Grove lies a locked gate marking the start of the trek to White Mountain Peak. At over 14,000 feet, it’s one of California’s tallest mountains, rivaling many in the Sierra Nevada. The trail is strenuous and not for the faint of heart, but for climbers prepared for thin air and isolation, it offers unmatched views across Nevada and the Sierra crest.

Walking Among Time Itself

As Tim made his way back from the Methuselah Trail, the late afternoon light caught the bristlecones, turning their twisted forms into silhouettes against the endless sky. It struck him that he wasn’t just walking among trees—he was walking among time itself.

“These trees have been here for nearly five millennia,” he said quietly. “They were alive before the time of Christ, and even when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. Empires have risen and fallen, yet these trees still stand.”

That realization carried a deeper resonance. If the bristlecones, rooted in barren soil and battered by millennia of storms, remain steadfast and alive, then it is no stretch to believe that the words of Scripture written in those same eras remain just as enduring. The Bible, inspired and preserved, stands as strong today as the day its truths were first penned—unchanged by time, unshaken by centuries, as constant as these ancient trees. Like concrete.

It’s that mix of natural wonder, scientific significance, and spiritual reflection that makes the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest one of California’s most profound destinations. For Tim Kizirian, the trip wasn’t just another hike. It was a lesson in patience, endurance, and the beauty of living testimony—etched in wood and written in the Word.

Daniel Carter writes about Northern California and beyond, following hikers like Tim Kizirian as they explore landscapes where history, science, and nature converge.