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Big Stump Picnic Area and Snowplay Area in Kings Canyon National Park

Picnic area · Kings Canyon National Park

Big Stump Picnic Area and Snowplay Area

A practical first stop, with a trailhead and winter snowplay.

Photo: National Park Service
Type
Picnic area
Nearest trail
Right here
Audio stories
8 nearby
  • Picnic tables
  • Parking
  • Restrooms
  • Trailhead
DirectionsMap

Hear the audio tour

Big Stump Picnic Area and Mark Twain Stump

Overview

About Big Stump Picnic Area and Snowplay Area

Why stop

  • Covered picnic shelters, drinking water, and flush accessible restrooms.

Heads up

  • The famous stump is a separate 2-mile hike from the lot.

Map

Where it is

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Picnic areaBig Stump Picnic Area and Snowplay Area36.72085, -118.97091
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Plan your stop

Before you go

8 active Kings Canyon alerts

  • ClosureGrant Grove trails and areas closed for prescribed fireMentions Grant Grove, referenced in this guideSome trails and areas around Grant Grove and the General Grant Tree are closed during an active prescribed burn; stay out until crews clear hazards and reopen them.Official details
  • CautionStage 1 fire restrictionsStage 1 fire restrictions are active because high fire danger raises the risk of accidental human-caused fires that could threaten visitors and employees.Official details
See all 8 alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Kings Canyon Tour Guide

Your drive to Big Stump Picnic Area and Snowplay Area, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Kings Canyon 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.

See the Kings Canyon audio tour

Recorded for this place

Big Stump Picnic Area and Mark Twain Stump
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“Up ahead is Big Stump Picnic Area, a handy place for a packed lunch at a covered table. The famous stump takes a hike from here, so allow about an hour if you want to add the walk.”

Plays as you drive up to Big Stump Picnic Area and Snowplay Area in the Parkwolf Kings Canyon Tour Guide.

More stories near here in the app

  • The Reservoirs That Never Came
  • A New Set of Antlers
  • The Life on a Rock
  • A Giant's Shallow Foundation
  • 55 audio storiesacross Kings Canyon’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Mule Deer, Marmot, and 13 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 77 trails, 61 places, and audio download before you lose signal
  • CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
★★★★★
“…The kids and my husband and I all agree that the narration really added to our experience driving through the parks. We learned so much about the history and the flora & fauna.”
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Guide

More about Big Stump Picnic Area and Snowplay Area

A useful first stopBig Stump Picnic Area and Snowplay Area sits on Highway 180, about seven-tenths of a mile…

Big Stump Picnic Area and Snowplay Area sits on Highway 180, about seven-tenths of a mile beyond Big Stump Entrance Station. It’s an easy first place to pull over in Grant Grove, eat, use the facilities, and get oriented. The Big Stump Trail starts here, and parking is usually plentiful.

Bring lunchBring your own food; this is a picnic stop, not a place to buy a meal.

Bring your own food; this is a picnic stop, not a place to buy a meal. Covered tables, raised grills, drinking water, and flush accessible restrooms make it better equipped than a simple roadside turnout. Some tables are extended for wheelchair users, and hard-surface paths connect the picnic area with nearby restrooms.

Walk to the stumpDon’t expect the Mark Twain Stump at the parking lot: it’s the goal of the Big Stump Trail from…

Don’t expect the Mark Twain Stump at the parking lot: it’s the goal of the Big Stump Trail from here. Budget for a 2-mile (3.2-km) hike to see it. The giant sequoia was about 16 feet (4.8 m) across before the Army cut it down in 1891 for display to crowds in New York and London. A small stairway lets visitors climb onto the stump, with other logging-era stumps nearby.

Snowplay when conditions allowIn winter, snow turns the site into a snowplay area.

In winter, snow turns the site into a snowplay area. Snowshoeing and making snow sculptures make this more than a picnic stop. If you sled, avoid icy or hard-packed snow, poor visibility, and slopes with exposed rocks or trees.

picnicsnowplaysnowshoesequoiastumpsgrantgrove

Wildlife

Wildlife in Kings Canyon

All Kings Canyon wildlife maps
Black Bear227 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapMule Deer385 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapMarmot188 sightingsMarmotMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapPika118 sightingsPikaMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapGolden Trout14 sightingsGolden TroutMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapRainbow Trout32 sightingsRainbow TroutMost seen around 7 PMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Kings Canyon. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Keep exploring

Near Big Stump Picnic Area and Snowplay Area

See it all on the map

Trails nearby

EasyBig Stump Loop Trail1.6 mi · 1 hr · At the trailheadA short loop through logged sequoias to the Mark Twain stump.ModerateSunset Trail and Ella Falls Loop6.3 mi · 4 hr · 1.4 mi awayA granite cascade and a screened lake view reward this forest loop.ModerateViola Falls Trail3.9 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayA forested descent from Grant Grove ends at a granite cascade.ModerateManzanita and Azalea Trail4.3 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayA forest circuit around Wilsonia opens onto High Sierra views.ModerateNorth Grove Loop1.8 mi · 1 hr · 1.8 mi awayA quieter sequoia loop through meadows and creek-side forest.EasyNorth Grove and Dead Giant Loops2.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.8 mi awayWalk two sequoia loops to a standing dead giant and lake viewModerateNorth Boundary–Lone Pine Loop4.5 mi · 2.3 hr · 2.4 mi awayA quieter forest loop with a brief giant sequoia highlightEasyPanoramic Point Trail0.5 mi · 24 min · 2.7 mi awayA paved half-mile loop over Hume Lake and the High Sierra.

More stops nearby

Sight · 0.4 mi awayMark Twain StumpAn enormous sequoia stump you can climb, with a sobering backstory.Entrance station · 0.5 mi awayBig Stump Entrance StationPay here, pick up maps, and get oriented before the drive.Campground · 1.1 mi awaySunset CampgroundA wooded Grant Grove base, with sunset views from select sites.Sight · 1.3 mi awaySunset AmphitheaterCatch a ranger talk in a small forest amphitheater.Visitor center · 1.4 mi awayKings Canyon Visitor CenterMaps, ranger advice and sequoia exhibits make this a smart first stop.Lodging · 1.4 mi awayGrant Grove CabinsCabin comfort varies, but the sequoias are right nearby.Restaurant · 1.4 mi awayGrant Grove RestaurantA meal break in the sequoias, with a meadow-side courtyard.Campground · 1.5 mi awayAzalea CampgroundA wooded base for Grant Grove, with 110 sites at 6,500 feet.

Parkwolf’s Kings Canyon ranking

Top sights in Kings Canyon

All 61 places
  1. 1General Grant TreeSight
  2. 2Zumwalt MeadowSight
  3. 3Roaring River FallsSight
  4. 4Panoramic Point OverlookSight
  5. 5Grizzly FallsSight
  6. 6Boyden CavernSight

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The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.

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