Bryce Canyon: Bristlecone Pine Loop

The Bristlecone Pine Loop is an easy trail within Bryce Canyon that follows the southern rim between Rainbow Point and Yovimpa Point and passes by a really old Bristlecone Pine Tree and offers some neat views south of the park.

1600 year old Bristlecone Pine.

View from the end of the trail.

Quick Details:

Length: 1 mile loop.
Difficulty: DR3 pretty easy going.
Elevation Gain: 200 feet.
Restroom: Yes. There are flush toilets and pit toilets in the area.
Dogs? No. Dogs are not allowed on the trails in the park.
Other Info: Fee area. Also, you are in the desert, be sure to wear appropriate clothing and bring enough water.

To Get Here:

Head to the south end of the park near Rainbow Point. The trailhead is well marked.

The Trail:

Trail head sign.

This trail is a nice easy walk through the woods.

A couple spots open up an offer a great view.

Where the trail splits for the loop, and connects to a couple other trails. We decided to go left.

Another nice view.

Pretty trees.

Random pavilion.

Nice view from here.

You can see all the way to the Henry Mountains. I forget how far away it said they were.

Neat cone shaped mountain.

We didn’t see any peregrine falcons today, unfortunately. But here is my 3rd Hike The Hoodoos disc. I didn’t claim a prize, but I am happy I found 4 of them on one trip.

Back on the trail.

Another view of the Henry Mountains.

Old trees. I think these are bristlecone pines.

The old bristlecone pine for which the trail is named.

The view from here.

Panoramic.

Miles and miles of unspoiled land.

Back to the bristlecone pine tree. The trail guide for this trail said there was one small spot that was still alive, but I don’t see it. Sadly, I think it may be fully dead now.

The sign says there is still an alive part, so maybe we just cant see it. It says that new growth can live on what appears to be rather dead trunks, so it’s possible. It also says the tree is 1600 years old! Wow!

From the other side.

From the other side there is some more orange rock. We’ve never been this far South in Bryce so it is neat. Rainbow Point was previously the furthest south we had been. I mean, it’s only a half mile, but still. Plus it is neat to see the southern views.

Again.

Random structure? Probably some ranger weather station or something. We did see a large group of rangers going down the trail past us.

The bristlecone pine again.

I think this is looking back towards the park.

Pretty forest.

I generally stay away from the edge anyway, but yea… I don’t need to see what's back there.

This is really a nice stroll through the forest.

There was a sign we passed that talked about forests that go too long without a natural fire start succumbing to disease, and I think this is what we are seeing.

I’m not sure, but I think they are doing a some controlled burns to help the issue through here.

The pretty forest.

Looking north toward the park again.

If you plan on going to Yovimpa Point, you may as well take the short side trail out to it. It will probably save you a little bit of walking rather than doing what we did and skipping it, only to walk right past it a couple minutes later.  But, oh well. Hindsight and all.

Compared to the other trails in the park, this one is really mild and doesn’t offer too much reward for the effort, however, it is something different, nice forest instead of hoodoos. Quite a few nice viewpoints. And super easy compared to most trails in the park this is super easy and not at all strenuous. Also, not a lot of people. 7 Out of 10 squirrels.

As for difficulty, this was a super easy stroll with just a little elevation change. Going with a DR3.

Dogs are not allowed on any of the park trails. So be sure to leave Fido at home or in the hotel. Do not leave him in your car!