Flat needle like leaves, red-ish bark.
There is a small patch with open area underneath but there are around 6 that circle around the path. They are actually western red cedars.
Seen somewhere along Cuddy Valley Road heading to the Mt. Pinos Nordic Base parking lot. Unfortunately I can't remember exactly where.
pinion pine? see the habitat change near the creek, versus the common habitat for the area/elevation. Some areas are juniper and other dry area plants including a few cacti. Others like the road coming in from the south, have a lot of buckwheat and astragalus. There were a lot of dead fiddlenecks alongside part of the road to the mountain.
San Bernardino County, California, US