Bristlecone Pine Trail - Dixie National Forest

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(1 vote, 1 review)

Difficulty: Easy
Length: 0.6 miles / 1.0 km
Duration: 1 hour or less

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Overview: Along the windswept ridges of Cedar Mountain and part of the Dixie National Forest exist some of the oldest living things on Earth. The Bristlecone Pine trees "are thought to reach an age far greater than that of any other single living organism known, up to nearly 5,000 years". This easy 1/2 mile round trip allows you to walk among these ancient trees.

Tips: Good walking shoes
Water
Camera

Points of Interest

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Parking and Trailhead

Exit I-15 at Cedar City, Utah and proceed East on hwy-14 up beautiful Cedar Canyon. Just before reaching the summit on the right is the Zion Overlook pullout, and within the next 1/4 mile you will top out on the large plateau. Immediately on your right is a large pullout for slower vehicles and the trailhead for Bristlecone Pine Trail. A prominent sign marks the spot and a well worn path leads South. If you reach the turn off to hwy-148 and Cedar Breaks you've gone to far.

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Easy hike along maintained trail

Bristlecone Pine trail is usually a wonderful hike along a well maintained trail. The path is well worn with little elevation change. Great for families and even small children. Use caution as the ground is uneven and contains rocks, burrows and broken limbs.

It must have been a rough Spring as I found the condition of the trail (usually extremely well maintained) littered with fallen trees.

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Bristlecone Pine trees and Zion Overlook

The Park Service has built an observation deck next to a large Bristlecone Pine tree, which allows for easy access and a beautiful spot to enjoy the view into Zion National Park 21 miles away (see if your can recognize the West Temple and other Zion peaks). The drainage from this ridge serves as the headwaters to the Virgin River.

Special note: The pine boughs on the Bristlecone are distinctive and on this particular tree reach up to 3 feet long.

Observation Platform & Bristlecone Pine Tree Photo

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Spring comes late at 10,000 foot elevation

Spring comes late on the mountain at this elevation and even hiking in July snow is often present and abundant.

Pictures in this guide taken by: steve625

How does this work?

I've hiked Bristlecone Pine Trail more than I can count. It's such an easy trail, with fantastic views and cool temperatures. The overlook deck is nice to sit and think about these trees, saplings during the reign of the Roman Empire and what they will see long after we are gone.
Visited on Jul 01, 2011

by steve625 on Jul 17, 2011