OliverB

Hey everyone,

I've never been to Sequoia or King's Canyon, and as part of my goal to visit every last Nat'l Park in the United States, I'm determined to change that this summer. I would like to spend 3-4 nights in both Parks and would greatly appreciate your help in planning.

It's a fairly easy drive from San Francisco and ideally a 3-4 night stay would work best. I'm really not very familiar with the lodgings or sites however. I've done a fair bit of research but am still not sure what would be best suited.

We like to stay in historic accommodations when we travel, nothing modern or contemporary - especially in the Nat'l Parks! I've read about Silver City and Grant Grove, but I'm not sure that either are well situated and I've read conflicting reports about the state of the Silver City cabins. I should add that while we love to stay in historic lodgings, we prefer clean and well maintained historic lodgings with running water and basic amenities!

While I realize that it may not be a fair comparison, we have stayed at the following historic lodges in North America... The Ahwahnee, Wawona Lodge, Jenny Lake Lodge, Old Faithful Inn, Roosevelt Lodge Cabins, El Tovar Hotel, Glacier Park Lodge, Lake McDonald Lodge, Many Glacier Hotel, Prince of Wales Hotel, Belton Chalet, Izaak Walton Inn, Village Inn at Apgar, Sperry Chalet, Historic Tamarack Lodge, Lake Quinault Lodge, Kalaloch Lodge, Lake Crescent Lodge, Wallowa Lodge, The Timberline, Oregon Caves Chateau, The Lodge at Bryce Canyon, The Stanley Hotel, Omni Mount Washington, The Balsams, Chateau Montebello, Banff Springs Hotel, Chateau Lake Louise, Jasper Park Lodge and places like The Point and Lake Placid Lodge all across the East Coast.

Based on the above and given our preference for historic settings in wilderness (preferably more secluded areas away from large campsites) - where would you recommend that we stay and what should we plan to see/do over the course of 3-4 days?

We don't mind staying at several different lodgings if it would be more convenient to sightseeing in both Parks, however we like to experience the Nat'l Parks at a relaxed and leisurely pace.

I'd greatly appreciate any help that you can offer - specifically in regards to suitable lodgings in or near the Parks!