Dinkey Creek
near Shaver Lake / Sierra NF · near Shaver Lake · Sierra Nevada / Yosemite
Canyoneering
At a glance
- Grade
- advanced
- Best season
- Summer at low flow only; flows above ~10 cfs are dangerous
What is here
- Setting
- granite
- Amenities
- Polished white-granite gorge · Up to 11 rappels, jumps & pools · Beautiful sustained Sierra descent · Committing full-day adventure
- Best for
- A committing technical granite descent
- Features
- Classic serious Sierra canyon · Sustained rappels & downclimbs · White-granite gorge · Full-day (or two-day) outing
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- High water is very dangerous — flows above ~10 cfs unsafe · Committing & sustained; ~2000 ft hike out · Flash-flood risk; cold water — wetsuit needed · Route-finding; slippery polished granite
- Beginner friendly
- No
Canyoneering detail
- Character
- rappels · waterfalls · swims · jumps
- Water
- flowing
- Commitment
- 3
- Descent notes
- A serious, sustained granite descent near Shaver Lake — up to 11 rappels with jumps, swims, and significant downclimbing through a beautiful white-granite gorge, a committing full-day (or two-day) technical adventure
- Stats note
- Up to 11 rappels + jumps & downclimbing; 6–7 hr (or 2-day); ~2000 ft hike out
- Wetsuit
- Yes
- Intl tip
- A serious, rewarding granite classic near Shaver Lake (Sierra NF) — a polished white-granite gorge with up to eleven rappels, jumps, and significant downclimbing, a committing full-day (6–7 hr) or two-day descent with a ~2000-ft hike out. Not to be confused with the mellow campground swimming holes. Flow is everything: above ~10 cfs it's dangerous, so it's a low-flow summer objective, run with a wetsuit by skilled parties only. Never at high flow or with rain; expect slippery granite and route-finding.
- Directions note
- Park at the Dinkey Creek campground / day-use area
The guide
Dinkey Creek, tumbling through the Sierra National Forest near Shaver Lake, is a serious and rewarding granite canyoneering cla…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Dinkey Creek — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.98, -119.13