We decided to stay at the John Muir Lodge in Kings Canyon National Park since there was a vacancy but wasn't expecting a lot because of a previous stay in another park but was very pleased with the lodge. The room was large, convenient and very nice. The only problem we had was the internet was out one of the days we were there.

First I wanted to thank Katherine (?) at the front desk for making my family feel so welcome on our most recent stay. The front desk closes at 10pm, but we were stuck in traffic for hours, so by the time we got to the lodge it was far past 11pm. I was worried that there'd be no one to check us into our rooms, or worse we'd have no room to spend the night, but much to my surprise and the family's relief, Katherine was waiting for us!!! I can't tell you how thankful we were to see her - if you've been to this property, you know that it's dark at night and hard to find if you aren't familiar with the area. I did call to let the front desk know that we were going to be late, but was not expecting to be greeted by live person so late at night. We had a very nice room on the first floor that overlooked the forest behind the property. The beds were comfortable, bathroom clean and adequate. The sitting area is rustic and beautifully cozy, the rocking chairs a nice touch. There is no fridge, nor microwave though. All in all a great stay for Kings Canyon, Sequoia National Park. BTW - I was told that donations at the visitor center goes toward Kings Canyon only. It didn't make sense to me that to donate to Sequoia National Park you have to go to the visitor center at the south entrance on 198. Giant Forest Museum donations go toward guided tours/talks but not park maintenance. Maybe someone can shed light on this.

The John Muir Lodge staff was very friendly and helpful. The staff in the restaurant were especially helpful, and the food was much better than i was expecting. The rooms were clean, and the beds were very comfortable. I would recommend this lodge to anybody looking to have an excellent visit to this beautiful park.

This is the first "hotel" I have stayed in were earplugs were standard with the toiletries! we found out why , when next door bashed about until gone one am. There is no lift so we had to lug all our cases up the stairs--we were away for 5 weeks.
The walls are thin and the bed was lumpy. I think we shall just call it basic--no television no radio--just a phone in case of fire.
Every where they warn you about bears stealing food. We had a picnic and a bear came and stole food from a table near us , so we know it is true. There are very few services available in the park--there was a restaurant within walking distance of the lodge (best drive as it is very dark at night) Dinner was good , but lunch was not. We , like lots of other people , brought some food items with us , thinking there would be a fridge. To our surprise there was no fridge. How can they expect people not to leave food in their cars when there is no fridge. The car is cooler than the hotel. There is a store , but the quality of the food was poor and a lot of frozen items. Ok if you are camping , but no good in the lodge.
The actual park is wonderful-- we preferred it to Yosemite , but be warned , this lodge is basic.