The largest of the oldest - Patriarch Grove - Exceptional Trees on Waymarking.com

Patriarch - the world's largest Bristlecone Pine Tree

The Bristlecone Pine trees east of the Sierra Nevada are the oldest known living trees on earth. Here in the White Mountains, the ancient trees have survived more than 40 centuries, exceeding the age of the oldest Giant Sequoia by 1,500 years.

For trees that old, one would expect giants, but Bristlecone pines look more like weathered dwarfs than like old giants. They add no more than an inch per century to their girth. The harsh climate above 10,000 ft elevation and very poor soil conditions don’t let things grow too big. As a matter of fact, Bristlecone pines are the only trees to have adapted to these conditions. That gives them a competitive edge allowing for a long and undisturbed life. For more on their survival skills, read
A Tree's Secret to Living Long.

While the oldest of these trees can be found in Methuselah Grove, the largest Bristlecone Pine tree grows 12 miles away from the Ancien Forest, near White Mountain.

Here are a couple of "Qualifyers", Judy sitting at the Pariarch and a plaque dedicated to the tree plus the GPS. Just click on the thumbnail to get the larger picture.

And here are our favorite pictures of other trees in the grove, all more than 4,000 years old!
Again, just click on the thumbnail to get the larger picture.

Left: This is why they are calle bristle cones. Right: Whatever it takes to survive; three generations of pine cones at the same branch.

12 mile of dirt road connect Methuselah Grove and Patriarch Grove and we are glad
our tough little car made it!

For directions to the main entrance of the forest, check this website.

Important: the road conditions are primitive but manageable for any kind of car. However: we noticed more than one car with a flat tire. This is 12 miles of dirt road in dry, cold air with no cell phone reception. Be prepared for anything!

Thank you, radiomom for correcting the coordinates!

Genus/Species: Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva) Height: 35 Girth: 56 Method of obtaining height: Reliable source Method of obtaining girth: Reliable source Location type: Other public property Age: 4000 Historical significance: The largest of the more than 4,000 years old ancient bristlecone pine trees. Planter: Mother Nature Website reference: [Web Link] Walk time: 3 Parking coordinates: Not Listed Photograpy coordinates: Not Listed

Visit Instructions:
A closeup picture of your GPS receiver in your hand, with the tree in the background, is required. If the tree is on private property, this closeup photograph with the tree in the background may be taken from the nearest public vantage point without actually going to the tree.
The required photograph does not need to show the entire tree, but the individual tree must be recognizable.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   06/15/2016 x_xenolith_x visited it 10/03/2015 madill visited it 08/21/2006 radiomom visited it 08/12/2006 Bernd das Brot Team visited it

View all visits/logs