Searching for Ancient Bristlecone Pines in Utah

If you've ever seen artistic photos of ancient bristlecone pines, with their twisted and gnarled branches, standing in a forest or perched boldly on a barren ridge, you may have wondered where these incredible creatures reside and how you can see one.

These old beauties, with life spans that reach up to 4000 to 5000 years, are not typically a tree you are going to stumble across by accident. If you want to see one, you need to search it out. And while you might think you need to go to California or Nevada to see one, you may be surprised to know you can also find them in a few stunning locations in Utah.

Where and When to Find Ancient Bristlecone Pines

The key to finding bristlecone pines is elevation. They grow at elevations of approximately 9,000 to 11,000 feet. This also means timing is important. At these elevations, the trees are covered in snow much of the year in Utah, and access is limited, to say the least. Set your sights on summer and early fall.

Cedar Breaks National Monument

One of the best places and easiest places to see these ancient trees is in Cedar Breaks National Monument. This park is only open from about mid-May to mid-October.

In the park, Spectra Point is a popular lookout with fantastic views, but it's also along this one-mile hiking trail (2 miles return) that you'll have an opportunity to see some of the oldest bristlecone pines in the park. The trail leaves right from the park's Visitor Center parking lot. Even before you reach the trees, you can see them on a ridge off in the distance from some of the early lookouts on the trail.

An even easier-to-reach, less visited, and free option that will get you up close to a huge ancient bristlecone pine is on the Bristlecone Walking Trail. This is located in an area operated by the Forest Service, right outside Cedar Breaks, a one-mile drive west of the intersection of Hwy 148 and Hwy 14.

Here, an easy .75-mile loop trail leads through the forest to an enormous bristlecone pine, complete with a raised observation deck that allows you to get up close to the tree at mid-level.

This isn't necessarily the best place for photography because the deck itself is an unnatural intrusion in the image, but it's a great place to enjoy some solitude and contemplate the grandeur of these ancient living beings.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park is another high park home to bristlecone pines. Bryce is more accessible year-round, but the highest areas where the bristlecones are found are still snow-covered in winter. The Bristlecone Loop Trail is the best place to see the trees in the park, along a one-mile hike that leads past several bristlecones, including the oldest one in Bryce, more than 1600 years old.