Mark Twain Stump
I wasn’t sure where I should be sledding at Kings Canyon, but I thought I could just find one. I stopped at the Big Stump Picnic area and saw other sledders, so I knew I had just hit jackpot.
I filled up my donut tube with air and hiked a little bit down the Big Stump Trail until I found the perfect slope for sledding. According to my GPS app, I then sled for about an hour (orange lines on the map at the bottom of this page). It was fun.
After that, I still had a bit of day light left, so decided to hike the Big Stump Trail to see the Mark Twain Stump. This area was fully covered in slow (more so than at the Grant Grove Day Ride Trail), so I lost the trail a couple of times.
When I arrived at the Big Stump Meadow, the trail of the previous hikers I was following cut straight through the middle of the meadows—I followed that until there was no trail left (they had turned south). I really wanted to see the Mark Twain Stump, so I just made a bee-line for the stump, following my map, getting knee-deep in snow the whole time. When I got there, I enjoyed reading the history of the stump and got to stand on top of it. I then hiked back through the snow field, and back to the car. My GPS app only recorded 150ft of ascent, but it definitely felt like more.
What I Learned:
Snow shoes would have been super helpful at the Big Stump Meadow. But otherwise, my snow boots did just fine.
It was my first time sledding with an inflatable sled, and it is so much more fun than just using plastic sleds. The reason is that the inflatable sled goes almost as fast as the plastic ones, but also provides a bit of a cushion on jumps. Can’t recommend it enough.
While iPhones are scratch resistant, keeping them in your pocket between the sled and your body can lead to them cracking when you land after a jump. It’s a tiny crack, but still.
1.2 miles, 47 min, 150 ft of ascent
Hike Review:
This was a moderately difficult trail due to the snow. I think this trail would be enjoyable in the summer given plenty of trees (and shade).
I didn’t see a soul on this trail. Winter hiking is really not popular.
The Mark Twain Stump was cool, but I don’t plan on seeing it again. It’s a stump. Not even the biggest stump I’ve seen, so… meh.