Home»All Photographs»Landscapes of the American West»Rock Creek Canyon & Ancient Bristlecone Pines

Have you ever met anything that was alive and more than 4,000 years old? Recently, I did. I had to drive a long way to a remote area of the White Mountains of California to make my encounter with these ancient beings. But my, oh my....it was worth it.
I am very pleased to invite you to view my "Rock Creek Canyon & Ancient Bristlecone Pines" gallery.
Rock Creek Canyon is located north of Bishop and is easily accessible via a paved road off of scenic Highway 395 on the east side of the Sierra Nevada in California. It is a premier location for autumn foliage and leads to a picturesque alpine lake popular with fishermen, boaters and the occasional photographer.
High in the White Mountains in the Inyo National Forest east of Big Pine lies a collection of beings so adaptable, so wise and so old that they have defied attempts by the best scientists to penetrate their secret to longevity. the Bristlecone Pines survive where no other trees seem to be able to flourish – above tree-line at elevations of 10,000 to 12,000 feet. Their age was determined by a scientist in the early 1950s, and since then visitors from all over the world have come to marvel at their gnarled and twisted beauty.