Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks guide · 1 min read
Campgrounds, Lodges and Beating Holiday Crowds
Delaware North Parks and Resorts runs the overnight lodging, dining, and shopping services in both parks.
Wuksachi Lodge sits in the Giant Forest area of Sequoia National Park, two miles from Lodgepole Village and four miles from Giant Forest Museum. It has more than 100 guest rooms, a full-service restaurant, a cocktail lounge, and a gift shop. On the Kings Canyon side, John Muir Lodge and the Grant Grove cabins are at Grant Grove Village, and Cedar Grove Lodge is in Cedar Grove.
The parks also offer 15 campgrounds, from developed sites with full facilities to primitive backcountry sites. The parks hold over 800,000 acres of designated wilderness, and overnight backpacking there requires a wilderness permit obtained ahead of time.
Campground reservations usually open several months in advance, so book as early as possible for peak season stays. Check each campground's page for its booking window and availability. Lodges and cabins are also best reserved ahead, since reservations are recommended.
Some of the busiest times come around Thanksgiving Week, spring break, and Christmas Week. Visitors during those stretches often face lines at the entrances, slow traffic, parking lots that fill up, and campgrounds that reach their limit. Plan to reach key attractions early in the day. Summer is also crowded, with roughly 70 percent of annual visitors arriving between May and September, while fall tends to bring smaller crowds.
Winter adds its own challenges. Roads can turn icy, so carry tire chains. Chains may be required to reach Wuksachi Lodge during winter storms, and the lodge sits at 7,050 feet, where it is snowy in winter.
