Inyo National Forest · California

Patriarch/Ancients Vis Loop

0.5 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 3406 · trail class 4 · typical grade 5-8% · hiking, bike

Trailhead Patriarch Grove Trailhead Drive there

Patriarch Grove Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

This beautiful and quiet grove in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest includes the world's largest bristlecone pine, the Patriarch Tree. At Patriarch Grove you'll find picnic tables, restrooms, and self-guided interpretive trails. Parking for the grove is at the end of the Bristlecone Pine Forest Scenic Byway at 11,000 ft. elevation. The final 13 miles of this road are unpaved.A speed limit of 15 mph is suggested to avoid flat tires punctured by the sharp rocks on this road.

Camping is not allowed in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. Nearest campground is Grandview Campground .

Restrictions Bristlecone and Limber Pine are protected, no collecting. <ul><li>No camping or campfires in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest.</li><li>Hikers must stay on trails.</li><li>No bicycles on trails.</li><li>Dogs are allowed on leash.</li><li>Closed 10:00pm to 6:00am. No overnight parking.</li></ul>

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in Inyo National Forest

Other trails from the Patriarch Grove Trailhead

All 659 trails in Inyo National ForestFind a trailForest on fs.usda.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.