The Bristlecone Trail is a moderate hike that begins at the uppermost parking lot of Lee Canyon. The first photo below shows that it is an irregular-shaped loop hike with an upper and lower trailhead. This diagram also shows that this trail intersects with the Bonanza Trail, which proceeds north 10 miles to Bonanza Peak. We will be hiking Bonanza Trail next month since our earlier try for Bonanza Peak was thwarted by residual snow. The aforementioned parking leads most people to the upper trailhead to hike Bristlecone in a clockwise direction.
We arrived at first dawn and started hiking on the well-defined trail. We soon were doing switchbacks, smelling the pines and gaining altitiude. The trail is 6.2 miles with 600 feet altitude gain. Much of the gain is in the first mile-and-a-half. Then, the trail levels off and follows a roadbed built in the early 1940s. The trail ends at the lower trailhead and it's an uphill mile on the paved road back to the parking area.
Bristlecone is an excellent choice for a first hike. The trail is easy to follow and there's just enough challenge to keep it interesting. You can see the ski lifts from much of the trail.
Following are pictures with some comments.
The sign accurately describes the trail.
The road bed is fairly flat.
The Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort.