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8 Dinkey Creek Falls
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Location: Dinkey Creek, near Shaver Lake, Sierra National Forest, Fresno County
Height: ~100 ft.
Access:  
Distance: 0.8 miles (RT)
Elevation: 8650 ft.
Season: May-Sep
Difficulty: 
Lat/Long:37.147, -119.10128
Directions:From Hwy 168 just before Shaver Lake, turn right on Dinkey Creek Rd. Drive 9.0 miles to Rock Creek Rd. (Road 9S09). Turn left and drive 6.0 miles to Road 9S10. Turn right and drive 4.6 miles to Road 9S62. Turn right and drive 2.1 miles to the Dinkey Lakes trailhead. This road is very rough and requires a high clearance vehicle.
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Dinkey Creek Falls is a fabulous 100 ft. cascade along Dinkey Creek, located just downstream from the Dinkey Lakes trailhead.
This waterfall has not been previously documented to my knowledge, which I find fascinating because it is such a large waterfall and quite easy to reach. All the guidebooks I have read mention Upper Dinkey Creek Falls (which they call "Dinkey Creek Falls"), but make no mention of the real Dinkey Creek Falls, which is located just downstream from Upper Dinkey Creek Falls. I was very curious about this because it is clearly labeled on the topo maps. And I had full intention of attempting to find this mysterious waterfall when I arrived here.
To get to the real Dinkey Creek Falls, just follow the creek downstream from the parking area to the top of the falls. It is best to cross the creek, and follow the dirt road on the opposite side until it makes its way around to near the top of the large cascade. From there, you need to get off the road and make your way over to the top of the falls. You will get a neat view from the brink of the cascade (pictured above). It is very steep here on both sides of the creek. I think it might be possible to make your way down to the bottom of the falls, though it looked easier on the other side of the creek (west side). But it is very steep, so be careful if you decide to do this.
When I was here, the mosquitoes were not very bad here at the top of the falls because it is on an exposed ridge and there was a nice breeze. Sweet. But back at the parking area, they were just awful.
There are actually quite a few more waterfalls on Dinkey Creek, located further downstream from here. I am not sure how many of them are really accessible. They are a long way downstream, so you need to try to get to them from dirt roads off Dinkey Creek Rd. in the area of Dinkey Meadow. It might be worth exploring sometime.
Zoom out on map to see all nearby waterfalls:
Other waterfalls nearby:
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