The 20ft-high Chicago Stump is all that’s left of the once-mighty, 3200-year-old General Noble tree. The 285ft giant was cut into sections and transported to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago to demonstrate the unbelievable scale of the newly discovered giant sequoias. Dubious viewers soon nicknamed it the ‘California hoax’!
The Chicago Stump turnoff is hard to spot. It's next to a stone marker at a four-way intersection off Hwy 180, about 3 miles north of Grant Grove Village; from there, it’s another 2 miles to the trailhead, then an easy 0.5-mile loop walk. The last quarter-mile of road is somewhat steep; consider parking in the turnout just before the descent if it’s muddy or you don’t have 4WD.