Sequoia and Kings Canyon: Accommodation and eating in the parks
The least expensive rooms are in the motels near the park entrances: Sierra Inn Motel (tel 559/338-2144, fax 338-0789; $75-100), fourteen miles west of the southern entrance on Hwy-180 and, near the southern entrance on Hwy-198, Gateway Lodge (tel 559/561-4133, fax 561-3656; $75-100). Inside the parks, all facilities are managed by Kings Canyon Park Services (KCPS; tel 559/335-5500 or 1-866/522-6966, ; $100-130/$130-160) who operate cabins and hotel units at Stony Creek, Grant Grove and Cedar Grove; and Delaware North Parks Services (DPNS; tel 559/253-2199 or 1-888/252-5757, ; $130-160/$160-200) who run the upmarket Wuksachi in Sequoia. Space is at a premium during the high season (May to mid-Oct), but you can usually pick up cancellations on the day. Summer prices range from $50 for basic cabins without bath to $160 for stylish modern hotel rooms. In winter the cheaper cabins are too cold; and only those at Grant Grove drop their prices below $50.Recorded camping information for both parks is on 559/565-3341. Campgrounds are dotted all over both parks, charging an average of $14 a pitch, though there are a couple of free, waterless sites in the national forest between the two. In Sequoia , the busiest is Lodgepole , which you can book up to eight weeks in advance through the National Park Reservation System (tel 1-800/365-2267). In Kings Canyon , the bulk of the sites are around Grant Grove, with another at Cedar Grove - again, all cost around $14. For backcountry camping, get a free permit from a visitor center or ranger station. And remember this is bear country : in established campgrounds use the bearproof food boxes, in the backcountry rent bear canisters from the stores in Cedar Grove, Grant Grove and Lodgepole.
There are pricey food markets and cafeterias in the various villages, and a couple of restaurants, notably bargain buffets at the Montecito-Sequoia Lodge in the national forest between the two parks. Three Rivers, on the southern approach to Sequoia, has the best range of places to eat nearby.
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