We stayed at Cedar Grove Lodge mid September 2011 and in fact booked a room here months before we arrived in California purely so we could spend the night in the canyon as opposed to driving in and out in a day. (We weren't equipped for camping but the campsites look great.)
Our room was upstairs, accessed via a narrow hallway and stairs/balcony on the river end, a long ramp on the other end. Yes, it was a bit of a slog getting everything out of the car and up to the room on a very warm afternoon but no biggie. The room was sited either over or very near the electric door for the main entrance below, but again, it wasn't a real issue.
Overall the condition of the room was pretty much as expected from TA reviews - basic but perfectly adequate.
Likewise the cafe downstairs.
The point being we weren't there for the lodging or the dining, but rather the surrounds. We had a wonderful twilight walk around the Zumwalt Meadow after dinner and in the morning, got up very early to walk up the Mist Falls track to Bub's Creek before returning for breakfast.
The Lodge gave us a chance to enjoy at least a little bit of the canyon's beauty without having to rush and after our shocking experience at Wuksachi the next night, in hindsight we would have been better to stay two nights at Cedar Grove. Certainly it would have been easier on the budget as well as our stress levels!
If we return to Kings - and we very much hope to - we will stay here again. We found the staff to be both friendly and helpful and we loved the canyon itself, partly because there are so few people there. For us this was a case of money, and time, well spent.
- Cedar Grove Hotel
- Hotel Cedar Grove
