At the end of the Loneliest Road in America, just a couple of miles from the Nevada-Utah border, is Great Basin National Park. And just below the treeline of Wheeler Peak, at 10,500 feet, is a tiny grove of bristlecone pine trees. Some are almost 5,000 years old. Here is our mini-trek.
We started the morning from Ely (elevation 6,437 feet or 1,962 meters). The park's entrance is about 80 miles away, to the southeast.
There's Wheeler Peak (13,063 feet or 3,982 meters).
The trailhead is at the end of a 12 mile road within the park. The parking lot for the trailhead is at around the 10,000 foot level. It's a short 1.5 mile hike to the grove. There was a bit of ice along the trail, but fortunately, I had a walking stick.
And this is one of the bristlecone pines. They are short, bare, and gnarled.
Here is the grove in all its glory.
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