I stayed with John and Alvie for a total of four nights over two weekends on a tour of the lower Sierra Nevada range. They are excellent hosts and the cabin is well situated to explore and enjoy the mountain ridge that overlooks the upper Kern River from the west. Breakfasts are phenomenal if you like rich and hearty starts to your day, which I do! And it was very pleasant socializing with Alvie over wine for the 4pm Wine and Cheese event that she organizes most days. John and Alvie are pillars of the Upper Tule community and are veritable founts of information on the area. They never steered me wrong in looking for trails or resources in that area.
The only caution I would provide to fellow travelers is one that John and Alvie might provide themselves: It is a long and winding (*understatement*) road up from the lowlands to their mountain abode, so be warned that additional trips up and down the mountain should not be undertaken lightly.

It is indeed a little oasis far up in the mountains in the Ponderosa community and big kudos to Alvie and John and the other people up there who keep this great place as charming as it is (and that includes the Brewer family who runs the local general store and restaurant!!!). we were welcomed very warmly with great wine&cheese, followed by an awesome breakfast menue which helped through the day which was well structured and consulted by Alvie and John on what to do, to see and where best to go depending on interests. We saw so many Sequoia giants and had great hikes and enjoyed our stay so much that we stayed even longer than planned.

My girlfriend and I spent New Years Eve and New Years Day 2010/2011. This place was exactly what I was looking for. A cozy cabin tucked away in the mountains!

Alvie and John are your hosts and do an excellent job of welcoming you. During your stay Alvie cooks up a delicious breakfast and around 4 pm, they set up a cheese plate with some tasty wine! The room was excellent. Just the right size with a big comfy bed and flannel sheets. A nice warm fire place and a big tv to watch movies on. Plenty of hot water too! There is also a spa in the back room with windows all around to look out at the surrounding forest. Unfortunately it had short circuited right before we got there due to the snowy conditions.

There was about 4 feet of snow if not more around and a few inches on the ground which made it a winter wonderland. There a couple pairs of snow shoes and snow mobiles that they offer for use. We did a little bit of hiking and got to explore the snow. It was beautiful. The hike must be spectacular out here in the summer, might just have to come back!

Located in Ponderosa (pop. 28), which is surrounded by the Sequoia National Forest, Mountain Top Bed & Breakfast is the ideal place to relax after a day or a week in the outdoors.

This b&b is a true mom & pop operation. The friendly hosts, Alvie and John Kracik, live on the second floor. On the ground floor there are two well-appointed guest bedrooms (there's also a two-level apartment with its own kitchen, called the "Mountain Pine Cabin"), a comfortable living room with a high beamed ceiling, a spa room with an 8'x8' jetted tub, and outdoor seating on the deck—all available for guest use.

The hospitable Kraciks welcome guests with a bottle of wine and appetizers and are happy to provide information on local attractions and activities. Their delicious breakfasts are beautifully presented and will keep you going the whole day (we had the opportunity to test their lasting power on a 7-hour hike). Home-baked pastries, fresh fruit with unusual dressings, eggs in phyllo dough on a bed of fresh spinach leaves, and stuffed French toast and berries were some (but not all) of the delights we were served at our two breakfasts.

Having come here after several days of camping and hiking in Kings Canyon National Park, we were looking for comfort but found so much more. Mountain Top Bed & Breakfast is truly pampering. Thick bathrobes are available in every guest room for a visit to the spa room, and I particularly enjoyed having the whirlpool all to myself early in the morning.

Mountain Top Bed & Breakfast offers a thoroughly rejuvenating stay.