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LODGINGS
Grant Grove Village/ 2*
ON HWY 180, KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARK; 559/335-5500
After many years of the status quo, accommodations at Kings Canyon National
Park changed dramatically for the millennium with the expansion of Grant
Grove Village. The Village's new John Muir Lodge, operated by park concessionaire
Sequoia Kings Canyon Park Services
Company, offers 30 rooms and 6 suites in a woodsy two-story building hidden
in the forest behind the village. (This concessionaire also operates the
clean, basic lodge deep in Kings Canyon called Cedar Grove Lodge; reservations
can be made via the same number above.) One of the challenges along the
year-round highway through the big trees of Kings Canyon used to be winter
lodging: most of this resort's tent-style, "rustic" ( or "bath
cabin" Meadow Camp cabins had to be closed during snowy months. Now
the new John Muir Lodge hosts year-round visitors in hotel-style comfort.
Deluxe rooms come with private baths and are priced well over $100—a
far cry from some of Grant Grove Village's classic tent cabins, which
still go for about $35 a night. Many guests here are weeklong visitors;
some have been coming for generations. Those
who like a more rustic experience often choose the Meadow Camp cabins.
Those equipped with baths rent for just under $100. Others have no running
water, no bath, and no heat other than a wood stove and are priced accordingly:
about $50. Snow closes the road from Grant Grove
Village into Kings Canyon each winter. $-$$; DIS, MC, V; checks OK; www.sequoia/kingscanyon.com;
65 miles east ofFresno on Hwy 180.
Wuksachi Village & Lodge / 2*
64740 WUKSACHI WAY IN LODGEPOLE, SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK;
559/565-4070 OR 888/252-5757
Wuksachi Village & Lodge, brand-new at press time, features 102 hotel
style rooms ranging from economy to deluxe. Rooms are thoughtfully flexible
in furnishings and layout: most have two queen beds and a queen. size
sofa bed, so you can really fit in a crowd. Many of your fellow visitors
will be spending at least several days here, so a friendly, community
feel soon develops as you see familiar faces. Overall, the Lodge has an
upscale feeling, nicely decorated with Native American motifs, Mission
style furniture, and stonework in the public areas. A crackling fire in
a
wood stove greets you in the lobby. Steps away, the Lodge's restaurant
has a "walk-in" fireplace. Other than a pizza place in Lodgepole,
this Wuksachieatery is the only casual, sit-down dining option around.
$$; AE, DIS, MC, V; checks OK; 30 miles from Ash Mountain park entrance.
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