California · Hiking

Cherry Gap

Cherry Gap
Loop
route
May–Oct
best months

Is Cherry Gap open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Sequoia National Forest. It doesn't name Cherry Gap, so check the source for the area it covers (2 listed).

As of · Source: USFS · Sequoia National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Cherry Gap is a Forest Service area in the Converse Basin sequoia grove, about 3 miles north of Grant Grove in California's Sequoia National Forest. The Hume Lake Ranger District manages the land, and the route to the Chicago Stump begins here. The Chicago Stump was once the General Noble Tree, a sequoia cut into pieces in 1897 and reassembled for the Chicago World's Fair. The effort to showcase the tree's size was met with disbelief and became known as the "California Hoax." The stump sits in a meadow ringed by young sequoias, and the 0.5-mile loop to it starts at the trailhead on Forest Road 13S03, about 2.8 miles from Cherry Gap. The road to the trailhead is often closed, so check the Forest Service's website before you go. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Grant Grove show July and August highs around 79°F with lows near 52°F and only about one wet day a month. Winter highs there hover around 46°F. Nearby, the Chicago Stump campground is 1.5 miles away, and the Indian Basin and Grant Grove North Boundary hikes are both within about 2 miles. Hume Lake, about 3 miles off, offers fishing.

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go · May–Oct

    Best time to visit Cherry Gap

    Best months: May–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      46° / 26°

      9 wet

    2. Feb

      46° / 25°

      10 wet

    3. Mar

      48° / 27°

      10 wet

    4. Apr

      52° / 30°

      7 wet

    5. May

      60° / 38°

      5 wet

    6. Jun

      71° / 46°

      2 wet

    7. Jul

      79° / 52°

      1 wet

    8. Aug

      79° / 52°

      1 wet

    9. Sep

      73° / 47°

      2 wet

    10. Oct

      63° / 39°

      4 wet

    11. Nov

      53° / 32°

      6 wet

    12. Dec

      46° / 25°

      8 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Grant Grove, CA, 2.8 mi away at 6,580 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Indian BasinPhoto: jeepwaters, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

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Hume LakePhoto: ciamabue, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

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Grant Grove North BoundaryPhoto: United States National Park Service, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

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Crystal SpringPhoto: United States National Park Service, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

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AzaleaPhoto: lewinb, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

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~6 min drive

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Crystal SpringsPhoto: United States National Park Service, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

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~4 min drive

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