Summer at Montecito

For over 50 years, Montecito has welcomed guests to our Rustic Mountain Lodge & Camp for a classic American summer experience. The traditions of summer camp, with unfettered access to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, the Giant Sequoia National Monument, and the Sequoia National Forest, combine for a truly authentic American summer vacation.

Our busy summer season is dominated by our award-winning Summer Family Camp program, but we do offer Open-Bookings for Saturday-night only stays throughout the summer season for guests touring the parks, and Memorial Day and Labor Day Holiday Weekend Packages, for those wanting a taste of our Family Camp program without the longer-term stay.

For those guests who would prefer a quiet lodge room for a night or two while exploring the parks, we also recommend our sister property - Stony Creek Lodge B&B. Stony Creek Lodge is a small 12-room rustic mountain B&B lodge located 4-miles south of Montecito. It is open daily to lodging guests all summer long, closing for the season in early October

During the Memorial Day and Labor Day Weekends, we offer some of the same activities that we do during our Family Camp, including daily and evening activities, along with our Kids' Program for children ages 5 - 12.

During Summer 2024, we will have a 2-night All-Inclusive Package (Saturday & Sunday nights, with the option to arrive on Friday, guests will depart Monday morning) for our Memorial or Labor Day Weekend Packages, so our guests will get to make the most of their holiday weekend. We have many families who return every year during these holiday weekends, making it a family tradition.

Throughout the summer, Montecito offers open bookings for Saturday Night-only stays, both after Memorial Day and Before Labor Day Weekend, along with a few other "open-booking" nights, for those visitors just wanting a place to stay inside the park gates, while touring Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks. See monthly calendars above for "open-booking" dates throughout the summer season.

It is important to note that for the price of a room at most other lodging within the parks, your Montecito Sequoia Lodge All-inclusive Room Rate includes buffet-style meals, access to our property's amenities (including our seasonal pool, hot tub and private lake), and self-guided activities for you and your children - making Montecito a great value!

Conveniently located between the General Grant Tree in Kings Canyon and the General Sherman Tree in Sequoia, Montecito Sequoia Lodge was founded in 1963 as a girls' leadership camp, by Dr. Virginia "Pony" Barnes. Except for our beautiful Forest Cabins and Lakeview Suites, most of our lodging was originally built in the 1970s, but all of our Lodge Rooms and Cabins have recently been remodeled, with a focus on our guests' comfort. All of our 37 Lodge Rooms & Suites, our 6 New Forest Cabins and Vintage Dandy's Cabin, have private baths. To honor our heritage, we strive to retain a vintage camp feel and an old-school National Park lodge vibe to our accommodations. We also offer more budget friendly Rustic Cabins that utilize a shared-bathhouse for those families who enjoy a more authentic camping vibe.

Amenities & Self-guided Activities on Summer Saturday Night-Stays/Open-Bookings
We also offer our guests amenities not typically available inside these parks, including a swimming pool, an outdoor hot tub, and a variety of self-guided boats (canoes, paddleboats, kayaks & SUPs, with life jackets) for use on our small private lake. For those who enjoy hiking, we have the Big Baldy Trailhead right at the edge of our camp, which makes for a spectacular sunset or sunrise hike for our guests; offering 360° views of the Sequoia & Kings Canyon backcountry, and the Central Valley of California.

Traveling with kids? We have an outdoor trampoline that they are sure to love, and we also offer ping pong, foosball, and board games, available for our guests to use in our Main Lodge Dining Room & Ponderosa Activity Room. Oh, and the view off of our back deck - stunning! Beautiful Views of the Great Western Divide during the day, and a gorgeous night sky for you to enjoy in the evenings.

Meals

Dinner on day of arrival
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
If you will arrive after 7:00 PM, call our Front Desk at 1-559-565-3388 and we will set dinner plates aside for each member of your group.

Breakfast on day of departure
7:30 AM - 9:00 AM
prior to 7:30 AM, we have self-serve cereal, bagels, toast, coffee, teas, hot cocoa, flavored waters, and other items available for your early breakfast.

One more important thing to mention - our accommodations do not have TVs or telephones in the rooms. Although, we do offer free satellite WiFi for our guests to use. Additionally, there is a communal TV in our Ponderosa Activity Room, near our Pine Box Bar, available for family-friendly viewing (including major sporting events). Due to our remote location, cell service is generally not available at Montecito, and our satellite WiFi can be slow at peak times. However, we find that our guests love to unplug and enjoy their vacation by spending quality time with their families, and the other guests that they meet, while staying with us! We continue to invest in our Wi-FI as improved technology reaches our remote location.