The Mt Goliath Natural Area protects the largest, northernmost stand of Bristlecone Pine trees in North America, with trees ranging 1600 - 2500 years old. While bristlecone pines highlight this area, it also supports micro-climates with plants found nowhere else below the Arctic Circle - one would have to travel 3000 miles north to see the same plant communities.

The Pesman Trail leads through examples of fellfield and tundra turf into the bristlecone forest

Thin strips of bark can sustain an entire bristlecone pine tree

Twisted trunks strengthen the tree and facilitate nutrient flow

Cushion and mat plants help build soil by catching organic debris in their foliage

Bristlecone Pine can live thousands of years before succumbing to the elements

The Pesman Trail runs 1.4 miles through the bristlecone pine forest into the open tundra

Mountain goat are found throughout the Mt Evans massif

The Spring Beauty's tap root can be several inches in diameter and reach down several feet

Marmot sleep through the winter in deep burrows but are ubiquitous and active throughout summer

Bristlecone pines' narrow growth rings form dense, insect resistant wood

Ptarmigan feathers lose pigment in their shafts to create more space for insulating air

Bristlecones may take a century to add just 1 inch in diameter, and can become nearly dormant during a drought

Bristlecone needles are bunched in fives, distinguished from Limber Pine by white resinous dots

Surface dwelling plants build soil in which grasses and taller plants can eventually root

The Mt Evans Scenic Byway is renowned for its thick aspen groves at lower-mid elevations