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New Visitor Facilities
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The new Wuksachi Lodge sits among towering pines and firs
with a backdrop of the snow-crested High Sierra.
© NPS photo Steve Collector.
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Wuksachi Village
Giant Forest
had been the primary site for overnight accommodations in Sequoia National
Park. At peak season, over 300 concession employees lived and worked there,
and 248 rooms were offered to the public. To remove development from Giant
Forest, these functions had to be replaced elsewhere. After consideration of
several alternatives and extensive consultation with the public as required
by the National Environmental Policy Act, the decision was made to construct
a replacement facility five miles north of Giant Forest in the Clover Creek
area. This new facility was named Wuksachi Village to commemorate the
Wuksachi band of Western Mono (Monache) Indians that seasonally used the area
prior to Euroamerican settlement.
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Lodging is nestled among pines and firs at
Wuksachi Village.
© NPS photo. |
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In 1985, the National Park Service
began construction of the infrastructure at Wuksachi - roads, parking lots,
bridges, walkways, underground utilities, water and wastewater treatment
facilities, a fire station, and staff housing. In 1998 a new concessions
contract was awarded to Delaware North Parks Services, who committed to
constructing the registration, dining, and lodging buildings planned for
Wuksachi. The first lodging and dining facilities opened at Wuksachi Village
in June 1999.
Present facilities at Wuksachi Village include three
lodging units
offering 102 rooms to the public, housing for concession
employees, and a registration, dining, gift shop, and conference room
complex. The master plan for the site
calls for a potential full buildout to 414 rooms.
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