Bristlecone Loop Trail

Mount Goliath Natural Area, Colorado

If you find yourself driving the Mount Evans Scenic Byway, North America’s Highest Road, be sure to stop at the Mount Goliath Natural Area where you can walk among the oldest living things on earth, the Bristlecone pine. This short trail provides a close encounter with trees that are approximately 1,700 years old! The oldest Bristlecone pines are found in California where many of them are 3,000 years old…that means they were living when the pyramids were being built! While the trees in the Mount Goliath area are not quite that old, it still boggles the mind to think about the history that has come to pass as they quietly grew on the mountainside. This is one of the few stands of these ancient trees found in Colorado, so be sure to stop and stretch your legs among these gnarled elders of the forest.