The entrance to a pretty gorge is a slot that is probably not runnable. Boaters who paddle to this spot will likely benefit from help getting themselves and their boats out of the water and up the rock to where the slabs are lower angle. Other boaters will start the portage further upstream or simply avoid this section by launching below the portage. The portage is easy walking on slabs high above the creek on river left. The total portage distance is around 700 to 800 feet.
The creek exits from a narrow slot into a small pool. There is a small level ledge on river left sufficient to launch a kayak. The exit to the pool is a small pour that consistently provides tail stands just as you are trying to negotiate a quick turn onto the top of a very steep slide which blasts into a diagonal wall on the right. It looks horid, but there is enough cushion to keep boaters off the rock if they are in control. A good catch pool is at the bottom of this short section.
This photogenic falls signals the end of the infinislide. Below this are a few more slides but Dinkey quickly becomes more congested and bouldery.
We ran it on 5/15/07 at 290/250 daily swing on NF kings guage. It was a great level for the infinislide and the first couple rapids...but very low for the rest of the run. I would like to go back in with more water.
The levels listed above are NOT good to go. Seeing that we would have a "perfect" level of 500-550, we hiked in last week and got skunked by HIGH water. We left our boats and walked back in 2 days later when the level was in the low 400s, and it was probably on the high side of good for a really strong group with lots of safety set. Since then I have talked to close to 10 different people who have hiked in and been skunked by high water, and the consensus seems to be that 250-350 is the range you are looking for on the North Fork Gauge. Leland
In years when the NF Kings is not spilling, (such as 2007) subtract about 30 to 40 cfs from the graph above, for minimum instream flow releases, then figure that flows in SuperDink! will be about 1/2 to 3/4 of the remaining flow. The actual ratio is unkown and will change a lot depending on the water year type and whether it is early or late in the season. Early in the season and in wet years the ratio will be low. Late in the season and in dry years the ratio will be much higher. (I think!)
This graph is for the online gauge on the NF Kings at Meadowbrook which is at 8000 feet elevation. This gauge should have a somewhat similar flow pattern as Dinkey, but will probably peak later and higher and stay high longer.
If the graphs do not show up, then monitor the estimate for Dinkey Creek at Dinkey Meadows which is based on the realtime flows reported for the NF Kings below Dinkey Creek at Dreamflows.com or CDEC. Flows in this section of Dinkey should be around 1/2 to 3/4 of the flow at the North Fork Kings gauge. The NF Kings itself is dammed and usually only provides about 30 to 40 cfs to this gauge, so all the rest comes from Dinkey except in wet years during spill.
Use your good judgement when you actually look at the creek. The highway bridge at Dinkey Campgrounds is a good place to compare flows. There is now a painted staff gauge under the bridge. The Infinislide is fun down to several inches below 1, but the rest of the run is probably better around 2 or more. Future parties should note the gauge level and report their impressions. Because of comments received in 2007 from Leland Davis and others, optimum flow estimates for this section have been revised. The year 2007 is a critically dry year and estimates are that 250 to 350 on the NF Kings below Dinkey, gauge may be an optimum range. The previous estimates given may still be true in wet and very wet years or they may be in error or they may have been made by gonzos who really like super high water? Possibly a combination of the three factors.
In wet years you may want higher flows on the NF gauge for SuperDink. A trip on May 25, 2002 had a moderate flow when the NF below Dinkey Gauge was about 450 cfs and the Meadowbrook gauge read about 180 cfs. Another party on an unknown date reported that they had 300 on the NF below Dinkey, which was ok for the slides but too low for the rest of the run. Please post comments below with your trip date, your estimate of High, medium or low Flow and the gauge readings to help out other boaters.
Permits are not required for this reach.
37.115601 ,-119.136002
37.087002 ,-119.154999
NA
We have no additional detail on this route. Use the map below to calculate how to arrive to the main town from your zipcode.
41387.jpeg
End of slide drop
Top Drop
Dinkey Creek-painted gauge
a map
Dinky Dome and the Creek
What a Sweet Creek
Parking
Big Drop
Dan going over
Dan Hogg near the end
Paul at the start
evan and dan at the beginning
Overview 3
Overview 2
Overview 1
Evan getting ready to hike over
Drop
Warm-up slide
Starting Gate
Fall before the Slide
Gauging Rock at Dinkey Rd. Bridge
18446.jpeg
Dinkey Dome
SuperDink!-2
SuperDink!-1
Infinislide!
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The U.S. Forest Service recently released the revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and Draft Forest Plans (DFP) for the Sierra and Sequoia National Forests. As part of this process, National Forests are required to identify the eligibility of rivers for inclusion into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Once a river is found eligible it is managed to protect the values that support their inclusion. To that end, American Whitewater has identified recreation as an outstandingly remarkable value on many iconic whitewater rivers within the Sierra and Sequoia National Forest and is advocating for their inclusion into the inventory of eligible Wild & Scenic Rivers. Dinkey Creek Photo by Daniel Lundberg
This summer the Sierra, Sequoia and Inyo National Forests are seeking feedback from the public on their update and revisions to Forest Management Plans. These plans set the stage for how the forest will be managed for the next 20 years. Unfortunately, the agency's draft analysis on Wild and Scenic Rivers has largely neglected whitewater recreation values of classic whitewater rivers, including Dinkey Creek. Paddler's voices are important in this process! The deadline to comment is August 25th.
Log into the American Whitewater website and you can contribute to river descriptions, flow and access tips, and maps associated with runs you've done. You can even add new runs to the inventory!