Dinkey Creek
3. Ross Creek Trail to confluence of NF Kings(Waterfalls)
| Difficulty | V+ |
| Length | 6.6 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 275 fpm |
| Gauge | Dinkey Creek Above North Fork Kings |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 28 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | September 5, 2019 |
This section is now boated each year by expert boaters and is considered to be an outstanding run. Dinkey has become a favorite for many. Canyoneers will find this section fun and plenty challenging at low flows in the late summer.
The defining character is big pools seperated by large waterfalls and slides.
Two rapids are still considered mandatory portages while all other drops are regularly run. When you do portage and if you portage more drops, you must be creative. You may need to lower boats and rappel, provide pendulum belays or just toss the boats and jump after.
The main difficulties are early in the run, dealing with huge drops and several difficult portages. After the first .8 miles the walls open up but rapids remain big. Past Bear Meadow Creek but just before the creek turns south is a second serious, though smaller and shorter gorge. Big drops and/or difficult portages await. The last several miles are much easier, and all rapids have been run. Any portages are easy compared to the upstream problems. The last 1.5 miles to Balch Camp is tight boulder slaloms.
Put-in: Tricky! And a lot of work. Find your way to Ross Crossing either from below along Big Creek Road or from above past Shaver Lake (depending on your shuttle) Drive past Ross Crossing about 1 mile on the east side of Dinkey. You will have to find a tiny overgrown trail that goes to the confluence of Dinkey and Ross Creek. It is part of the remains of a trail shown on some older topos. Rockwork in some sections shows that it was a developed trail at one time. The 'trail' was marginal in 1989 and has gotten worse. Prepare for major bushwacking. In 2008 the start of a trail
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Google Earth has high resolution images of this area which can greatly help locate the easiest way down the hill. From the road hike down through an open area to find the faint trail through the bushes. It quickly leads to the top of a small cliff overlooking the creek. From there it traverses the cliff top south aiming for trees with less undergrowth and the granite slabs of Ross Creek. Once on the slabs, enjoy the easy progress. There will probably be a last bit of bushwacking at the bottom of the drainage before it reaches Dinkey
The hiking trail reaches Dinkey Creek at the confluence of Ross Creek. There is a nice pool, then the first big drop.
A fifteen foot drop onto low angle slides, leads to a steep 40 foot slide. This is the entrance drop to the first major gorge.
A short falls onto a sloping ledge into a clean 30 foot falls.
Paddle off the left side as the right side goes into a sieve. Avoid piton rock on left side. 35 feet aprozimately. Awkward and dangerous portage on left.
Mandatory portage as the flow goes underneath a boulder. It can be fastest to throw your boat and then jump after, if flows are low enough. At optimum flows look for ways to lower boats and gear. One group reported being able to lower to a ledge and then seal launch.
In 2011 at 450cfs several boats filled with water and flushed into the next rapid. Danielle Tira lost his life in the next rapid below while trying to rescue one of those boats.
This rapid is immediately below the 40 Foot Boulder Sieve portage. Danielle Tira lost his life here in 2011 when he flushed into a sieve.
The portage on river left is technical and can require a pendulum or delicate friction climbing.
A big slab on river right at the end of the gorge is a popular campsite.
At one time a 4 wheel drive road came down to the creek here. An old truck, a refrigerator, bed springs and other artifacts remain. The road is not usable by vehicles, but for the most part, is in good shape for a trail. There are plenty of areas with brush and downed trees, but it is mostly clear, as of 2008. The trail climbs 2,000 feet in 3 miles. The route is visible in aerial photos and on some topo maps.
The last of the really really big drops on the run. Below this are a couple of really big drops and a bunch of really cool big drops!
There is an easy portage on right if you choose not to run this drop.
A long steep boulder slalom leads to bedrock slides.
This rapid marks the transition point from the Waterfalls section to the Balch Camp Hike in section. Below this point the rapids are mostly boulder slaloms.
Jul 15, 2006
This might be taking a break on the hike in. Much of the hike in goes through nasty thick brush. But then it breaks out onto slabs. It is much nicer hiking down the slabs rather than hiking through the brush on on overgrown trail.
Jul 1, 2005
This big drop in the middle of the first gorge remains a portage for obvious reasons. The first descent party did a weird seal launch here, but it is way faster to jump.
This beautiful campsite is only about a mile and a half into the run, but it is just past the exit of the first gorge, so reaching this point is a major acheivement.
This just above the last major drop in the first gorge, looking upstream into the middle of the gorge.
