Storm destroys state park’s tunnel tree

This weekend’s storm brought down the iconic tunnel tree at Calaveras Big Trees State Park in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Arnold.

The ancient sequoia, formally known as the Pioneer Cabin tree, featured a tunnel that was carved in the late 1800s to allow horses (and eventually, cars) to pass through the living tree. In recent years, only hikers were allowed to walk through the tunnel.

According to posts on the state park’s Facebook page, the tree fell during a torrential rainstorm on Sunday.