Methuselah Trail - Bristlecone Pine Forest, CA

There are three trails on the trail map at the parking lot near the visitor center at the Schulman Grove. Schulman Grove is known to have the world’s oldest living tree, named Methuselah. Tree ring sampling dates the Methuselah tree at 4,855 years old in 2024. USFS won’t say where the tree is, but it is safe to assume that it is somewhere in the proximity of the Methuselah Trail.


The Methuselah Trail is the longest trail of the three named trails in the Shulman Grove at 3.9 miles. The trailhead is on the east side of the visitor center. This is another counterclockwise loop trail. The difference is that counterclockwise is how the USFS wants the Methuselah trail to be. It is likely because there are sections of trail with a fair amount of exposure. So, the USFS is likely encouraging everyone to hike in the same direction to cut down on people passing oncoming traffic on an exposed section of the trail. After traveling a tenth of a mile on the trail, there is a sign that says “Keep Right”, which is where the lasso loop splits to the right.From this point, you are going in the opposite direction from the direction you would go on the Cabin Trail. The amount of exposure on this section is minor compared to sections that will be encountered after the Cabin Trail splits from the Methuselah Trail. From the tenth-of-a-mile split, the trail climbs from the 10,047-foot elevation to the 10,222 elevation, before descending toward the Cabin Trail junction. After passing the Cabin Trail junction, the trail bottoms out at 10,070. The trail then ascends to the 10,170-foot elevation as it passes over a ridge. The trail then begins a long steady descent. This section has the first sections of exposure that could be uncomfortable if people had to contend with oncoming traffic.

After bottoming out, the trail meanders for a while on a fairly flat section of trail until reaching a switchback. After 2 switchbacks, the trail returns to a relatively flat grade, although there is a good drop-off in places to your right. After taking a “V” path within a ravine, the trail makes a 90-degree turn to the left and begins to ascend toward the visitor center. Eventually, the trail reaches the spot where it split off early in the hike, which is the 3.8-mile mark of the hike. After another tenth of a mile, the trail concludes at the visitor center.

2024-06-16 slegal