Parking
Use designated spaces at Bristlecone Trailhead, at the end of Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive. Parking along the road or outside marked spaces is prohibited; pit toilets are at the trailhead.
Overview
About Sky Island Forest Trail
Why go
- A rare high-alpine walk with a surfaced route designed for wheelchair access.
- Benches and interpretive panels make a very short walk feel worthwhile.
Heads up
- Very little distance or climbing if you want a substantial hike.
- Seasonal road closures can cut off access to the trailhead.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Great Basin map
Full mapElevation9,929–9,950 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
4 active Great Basin alerts
- CautionStage II fire restrictions prohibit outdoor fires and smokingStage II fire restrictions are active throughout Great Basin National Park because of extreme fire danger. - Do not use campfires, charcoal grills, or smoke outdoors anywhere in the park.Official details
- CautionPotable water is unavailable at park campgroundsPotable water is currently unavailable in every Great Basin National Park campground; bring sufficient water or fill containers before settling in.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Great Basin Tour Guide
Your drive to Sky Island Forest Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Great Basin National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Bristlecone Trailhead: The Grove Walk0:00 / 0:27
“Up ahead is Bristlecone Trailhead, where I'd choose the hike to Wheeler Peak's bristlecone grove.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Great Basin Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Wheeler Peak Summit Trailhead: A Full Hiking Day
- Wheeler Peak Overlook: Find the Rock Glacier
- Mather Overlook: Match the Map to the Mountain
- Mountains Pulled Apart
- 36 audio storiesacross Great Basin’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Elk, Mule Deer, Wild Turkey, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 29 trails, 29 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Sky Island Forest Trail
A small walk through a high forestSky Island Forest Trail is a surfaced interpretive loop from Bristlecone Trailhead through a…
Sky Island Forest Trail is a surfaced interpretive loop from Bristlecone Trailhead through a high-elevation conifer forest. The full walk is 0.4 mile, including a short approach, with about 20 feet of gain; allow 15 to 45 minutes. Rubber matting gives way to boardwalk, and the route is designed for wheelchair access when the scenic drive is open. It is an easy way to trade the desert road for trees without taking on a longer hike.
Follow the short loopThe Sky Island route branches beside the longer Alpine Lakes trail at the shared trailhead.
The Sky Island route branches beside the longer Alpine Lakes trail at the shared trailhead. A brief approach leads to the interpretive loop, which circles through the woods and returns to its junction. The even surface, boardwalk, benches and signs make this a walk to take slowly rather than a route for covering ground.
Why it is called a sky islandA sky island is a high, cool habitat set apart from the lower, drier country around it.
A sky island is a high, cool habitat set apart from the lower, drier country around it. The panels explain this forest and its recovery after an earlier wildfire. Look through the trees for Wheeler Peak and near the streams for wildflowers.
Make the access workBegin at Bristlecone Trailhead at the end of Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive.
Begin at Bristlecone Trailhead at the end of Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive. The trailhead has pit toilets without running water; potable water is not available along the scenic drive. Park only in designated spaces, and leave pets at home; trained service animals are allowed. At nearly 9,900 feet, altitude can matter even on a short walk, and summer thunderstorms can build in the afternoon. The road closes seasonally with winter weather, which also cuts off wheelchair access.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Great Basin
22 sightingsElkMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
237 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
185 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
22 sightingsRattlesnakeMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
23 sightingsDusky GrouseMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
18 sightingsThree-toed WoodpeckerMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Great Basin. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
