A tunnel was carved into the tree's trunk in the 1880s to let tourists pass through. It had allowed cars, but more recently was only crossed on foot.

A massive sequoia tree that was carved into a tunnel in the 1800s toppled to the ground during a winter storm in California on Sunday, according to Calaveras Big Trees State Park officials.

Joyce Brown was 12 when her parents first took her to visit the Pioneer Cabin Tree, a giant sequoia “tunnel tree” in California famous for a car-size hole carved into the base of its trunk.

"The tree had been among the most popular features of the state park since the late 1800s. The tunnel had graffiti dating to the 1800s, when visitors were encouraged to etch their names into the bark.

The tree was hollowed out in the 1880s – an attempt to lure tourists in the fashion of Yosemite’s famed Wawona tunnel tree. At the time, the Pioneer Cabin grove was part of a private resort.