Sight · Kings Canyon National Park
An enormous sequoia stump you can climb, with a sobering backstory.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Kings Canyon Tour Guide
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 tourRecorded for this place
Big Stump Picnic Area and Mark Twain Stump“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 Mark Twain Stump in the Parkwolf Kings Canyon Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“…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.”
Guide
Mark Twain Stump is the cut base of a giant sequoia in Big Stump Grove, near Kings Canyon's southern entrance. The tree measured 16 feet across, and a small staircase lets you stand on its broad cut surface. It's a worthwhile stop if you want the sequoias' scale to feel physical; just know you're looking at a logging remnant, not a living giant.
Big Stump Trail starts at Big Stump Picnic Area, 0.7 miles from Big Stump Entrance Station on Highway 180. The park describes the hike to the stump as 2 miles, so plan around that full route rather than treating this like a roadside stop. Elevation changes can feel harder at this altitude.
The trailhead is at Big Stump Picnic Area, not at the stump. The picnic area has parking, including accessible and RV spaces, covered tables, raised barbecue grills, shelters, and nearby restrooms reached by paved or firm-surface paths. Dogs aren't allowed on the hike.
In 1891, the U.S. Army felled the tree so its size could be shown to audiences in New York and London. Travel to these groves was difficult enough that many people doubted trees could grow so large. Other large stumps around the grove show that logging reached well beyond this one tree.
The broad cut surface and its rings are the point of the stop. For a photo, include someone standing near the edge so the 16-foot diameter is easier to take in; then look for the other cut sequoias along the trail.
Wildlife
227 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
385 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
188 sightingsMarmotMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
118 sightingsPikaMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
14 sightingsGolden TroutMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
32 sightingsRainbow TroutMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Kings Canyon. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyBig Stump Loop Trail1.6 mi · 1 hr · 0.4 mi awayA short loop through logged sequoias to the Mark Twain stump.
ModerateSunset Trail and Ella Falls Loop6.3 mi · 4 hr · 1.6 mi awayA granite cascade and a screened lake view reward this forest loop.
ModerateViola Falls Trail3.9 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.6 mi awayA forested descent from Grant Grove ends at a granite cascade.
ModerateManzanita and Azalea Trail4.3 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.6 mi awayA forest circuit around Wilsonia opens onto High Sierra views.
ModerateNorth Grove Loop1.8 mi · 1 hr · 2.1 mi awayA quieter sequoia loop through meadows and creek-side forest.
EasyNorth Grove and Dead Giant Loops2.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 2.1 mi awayWalk two sequoia loops to a standing dead giant and lake view
ModerateHart Tree and Fallen Goliath Loop7.3 mi · 4.5 hr · 2.5 mi awayA 7.3-mile sequoia loop to Hart Tree and Fallen Goliath.
ModerateSugar Bowl Loop6.5 mi · 4 hr · 2.5 mi awayA sequoia loop with a ridge climb and a long descent
Entrance station · 0.1 mi awayBig Stump Entrance StationPay here, pick up maps, and get oriented before the drive.
Picnic area · 0.4 mi awayBig Stump Picnic Area and Snowplay AreaA practical first stop, with a trailhead and winter snowplay.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayPark Ridge LookoutA working fire lookout with roots reaching back to 1916.
Campground · 1.4 mi awaySunset CampgroundA wooded Grant Grove base, with sunset views from select sites.
Sight · 1.5 mi awaySunset AmphitheaterCatch a ranger talk in a small forest amphitheater.
Visitor center · 1.6 mi awayKings Canyon Visitor CenterMaps, ranger advice and sequoia exhibits make this a smart first stop.
Lodging · 1.6 mi awayGrant Grove CabinsCabin comfort varies, but the sequoias are right nearby.
Restaurant · 1.6 mi awayGrant Grove RestaurantA meal break in the sequoias, with a meadow-side courtyard.Parkwolf’s Kings Canyon ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
