Lodgepole Market & Grill - Pk, California

Dr. R. A. R.

This is a great market that has laundromat and restaurant. They also have bathroom and showers. The bathroom was very dirty and just like visitor center they were never cleaned. There has to be someone cleaning after all the visitors because most people are filthy!!! I hated the restrooms. The restrooms at Sherman Tree smelled like an outhouse. I refused to go near them. Smh
The best thing about this market were the gifts, self checkout and the food at restaurant was EXCELLENT!!! And the staff were friendly. Me and my goddaughter ordered the California Chicken Wrap and it was DELICIOUS and worth every penny! I don’t like ranch but they did have Italian.

I highly recommend purchasing food here and not at Kings Canyon because there is no comparison in quality and taste.

Florida S.

It's Oct 28th and the Grill is officially closed for the season. It was open yesterday, so we missed an opportunity to eat there.

In the Market, they have a good selection of items that you may need while camping or if you're just passing through. It seems seems though that the cold sandwiches, pre-made salads, and frozen foods are quickly diminishing. Lots of beverages and ice cream available though. There is an eating area inside with a microwave available, so that's nice.

We used the laundry room. It's $2 to wash and .50 to dry for 20 minutes. That's pretty cheap. For the most part, the laundry room is clean, but the machines themselves could use a good wipe down. They could use a folding table in here.

No Internet connection here. That's a bummer. Even though the Visitor Center next door is closed, you would think you could still access guest Wi-Fi here. Nope.

Jana K.

I'm amazed that these are actual restaurants in the national park. But I'm also glad for that, as I don't need to rely on protein bars or snacks that I eat just to survive a day out in nature.
This place offers some sandwiches, burgers and bowls. Despite having a bit of fast food vibe, taste of the meals is good and portions are big, or at least big enough for me.
The shop has everything, but really everything. You can buy so many Sequoia National Park souvenirs that I didn't see in other souvenir stores at the park, also some better meals or snack to take away with you, and then regular daily necessity products.
The toilets are not directly inside of the building, but they close by in the different building in the area.

Kevin L. F.

Im glad that we took a stopover in this location. This area has your needs for the whole national park. This includes souvenir, small grocery store and cooked food!

I ordered the cheese burger and fries. I found the food is subpar. The patty in the burger is very dry and little sauce on it. The fries isn’t as crispy and you have to add salt to your liking which is nice! Overall, I can’t complain as this is the only place that serves food in the national park.

Matt T.

Only Gripe I have is they could have a few more options. However, they still get 5 stars because they had gluten bread, and one of the worker Lucy went above and beyond asking the chef about procedures and making sure my food didn't come in contact with anything it shouldnt. I hope all the workers are like Lucy, she's awesome.

Brad

The Lodgepole Market Centre is located next to the Visitor Centre and is open year round. Opening hours are 8am to 9pm daily (summer hours).

Here you will find a supermarket with food, drinks and cooking items you might need for preparing your own meals within the national park.

There is Grill here as well where you can buy ready-made sandwiches, wraps or order burgers made to order. We had lunch at the Grill and found the wraps to be just fine, good enough for the prices charged.

There is also a gift shop section at the Market Centre where you can pick up souvenirs or other gifts related to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

The are toilets available and a fair sized carpark outside. We had no problem finding parking space during our April visit.

Robert H.

Everything a person needs. Or even if they don't need it. From food, gifts and camping supplies. Souvenirs are vast and plentiful. Be aware of the prices. You might be shocked by what they charge. Overall. Decent store.

Chad M.

I've had the good fortune to have visited 25 of our nation’s 62 national park units. Some of them I drove through, many of them I hiked and camped in, and one I was blessed to work in for 4 years.

Sequoia National Park is gorgeous; however, the facilities and staff at Lodgepole Village Market, under the management of the concessioner Delaware North Parks & Resorts (DNC), are the definition of abysmal. Let me be clear: this is not an NPS issue—the responsibility rests squarely with the concessioner.

On paper, the men's and women's shower facilities at Lodgepole have five stalls each. My family is here in the first week of July—high season, mind you— and only 2 of the 5 stalls in the women's facility are functional. In the men's partition, 3 of the 5 are in working order. Perhaps this in particular is an NPS issue; I do not know.

But the showers are fetid. Please see my attached photos. I was hoping that it was a one-off experience our first night, but tonight sees the SAME thick cake of scum on the shower floor as the previous night. It's at least an eighth of an inch thick, and I'm not sure whether it is composed of hair, mildew, mud, or some combination of all of these. As I took the photo, I was afraid I'd see two stalk eyes spring up from it as it finally attained life. The feast of the senses continues on into the sitting areas just outside the bathroom, which are full of trash, empty bottles, paper products, etc. Ditto the curb in the parking lot. See photos.

But enough about the facilities. How about the people?

Last night, we waited a long while in line to shower. This is certainly nothing new, and it isn't a problem. I just tried not to think of it being exacerbated by the fact that only half the stalls were functional. Well, we made our way in, but my wife and daughter faced repeated countdowns by the employees: “Folks, we're locking up in 10 minutes.” "Two minutes. “Time to go."

As I type this, the very next night, I just asked the manager if the shower dysfunction was an NPS issue or a DNC issue. She said, “It's an everybody issue” and walked away without looking at me. The female custodian standing by, who was definitely not supposed to talk, told me that the showers have been down since 2019.

It's 2024. DNC won their contract in 2016.

I've got a load of laundry going right now. I put it in at 7:20 p.m. The sign says the last washing loads are to be at 8:00 and the laundromat will close at 9:00. I arrived at 8:00 to switch clothes over to the dryer, and the manager almost didn't let me in. I pointed to the sign. She said, “If we let people keep doing laundry, we’ll be here till midnight.” I pointed out that my laundry was already washed and that the sign says that the laundromat doesn't close till 9:00, so she let me in. She told me that she'd have “to lock me in." The door doesn't have a bolt throw on the inside, so I suppose she really meant "locked in,” though she ultimately did not do it. It's 8:53 now, and she's come back once or twice to look at locking the door.

Folks, I'm not hard to get along with. I teach high school, so I deal with teenagers every day, and though I don't quite have the patience of Job, I like to think I get pretty darn close.

I'll tell you what I think the problem is: DNC has a TEN YEAR contract with the government, and the experiences my family and I have had the last two evenings have demonstrated that some of DNC’s employees exhibit minimal desire to do things the right way or be courteous and civil while doing it. I do not know whether the issue is systemic, but I do know that our visit to this beautiful park has been notably compromised. Sequoia and our Park Service deserve better.