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- The Methuselah Trail, located in Inyo National Forest near Big Pine, California, was recently named one of the best hikes in the world by AllTrails.
- The trail is named after and home to the oldest tree in the world, Methuselah, whose existence predates the pyramids.
- It’s rated as “moderate” difficulty and takes most people about two hours to complete.
High in California’s White Mountainsmore than 10,000 feet above sea level, the Methuselah Trail winds a quiet loop through the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, a place where gnarled, wind-twisted trees have stood for thousands of years—some dating back nearly five millennia.
The four-mile trail passes through groves of Great Basin bristlecone pines, with trunks weathered by centuries of snow and sun. The mother of them all, Methuselah, the once-confirmed oldest living tree on Earth, can be seen from the trail, but, in order to protect it from vandalism, there is no sign marking it. Methuselah is over 4,800 years oldmeaning it was already alive by the time ancient Egyptians built the pyramids in Giza. To put it in perspective, Methuselah is well over 1,000 years older than the oldest known giant sequoia treewhich is over 3,200 years old.
Methuselah aside, the trail has sweeping views of Owens Valley and the distant Sierra Nevada. The hike is so spectacular that it was named one of AllTrails’ “25 Trails to Explore in 2025.”
“25 Trails to Explore in 2025 is the first list of its kind from the team here at AllTrails,” Ron Schneidermann, CEO of AllTrails, said in a Jan. 2025 press release. “We looked beyond popularity to share places and occasions that are truly special this year. The magic of discovery is what fuels my love of the outdoors, and I hope this list inspires people to find their own sense of wonder on the trail.”
Methuselah Trail is located in California’s Inyo National Forest near Big Pine, California. It takes around 45 minutes from Big Pine to reach the trailhead and the hike takes most people around two hours to complete. It is rated as “moderate” in difficulty by the AllTrails team.
The route was selected by AllTrails from more than 450,000 trails around the globe, including hikes in Italy, Alaska, and Japan. The top five this year include the Peace Trail, Segment 28 in Trento, Italy; Cerro Pelón In Michoacán, Mexico; Boston’s Freedom Trail in Boston; Idaho’s Alice-Toxaway and Edith Lake Loop; and Hump Ridge Track (Southland, New Zealand. To see the full list, visit All Trails’ website.
