- Location
- Bakersfield, CA
Here's an update on the upcoming annual Swamp Lake trip. The schedule is to meet up Thursday evening at our usual camping spot at Dinkey Creek (directions are posted below)) and hit the trail Friday morning, then spend both Friday and Saturday nights at Grouse Lake, finishing the trail on Sunday. You can hike, swim, boat, fish, or just sit around and BS. The run will leave from the Dinkey Creek ranger station at 8:30 Friday morning.
We will be providing dinner on Friday evening and breakfast on Sunday morning. The cost is $20 per vehicle. If you have 4 or 5 in your rig and want to give us an extra $5 that would be fine. We will also have our traditional potluck dinner on Saturday evening, so come prepared. We'll eat whatever you bring. We need to know how many are coming so we can plan the food, so please post up if you'll be there and how many will be in your vehicle. If you'd like to pay in advance, that's fine with me, otherwise we'll collect at the beginning of the trip. You can send a check to me, Richard Gauthier, 420 Holtby Rd, Bakersfield CA, 93304, or PayPal it to me at [email protected]
Bring some firewood if you can, we can always use it. Since this is a popular camping destination on this trail, there isn't much wood around there.
The best place to gas up is in Prather, which is on Hwy 168 at the bottom of the big grade. It's possible to fill up in Clovis and run the whole trail and drive back to Clovis to fill up again, so fuel isn't real critical on this run. There is a Texaco station at the top of the big grade, but it closes early, like around 8:00 pm, so it's not good to count on it unless your early. There is gas at the Dinkey Creek store, but it's expensive, and best used only for emergencies. There are also showers at the store.
It's best to use block ice, which will easily last the 3 day weekend, then fill in with crushed. The Dinkey Creek store sells ice, so you can top off Friday morning if you need to.
Here are directions. Take Hwy 168 heading NE out of Fresno/Clovis, towards Shaver Lake and Huntington Lake. If you're coming from the south, exit Hwy 99 at Kingsburg and go north until you reach Hwy 168 (about 30 miles), then make a right. If you're coming from the north, exit Hwy 99 at Herndon, and drive all the way through town, then bear left onto Hwy 168. The new freeway through Fresno turns into Hwy 168, so you can take it off of either Hwy 99 from the north or Hwy 41 from the south, if you want.
So, heading NE on Hwy 168, follow the signs to Shaver Lake, which is roughly an hour drive from Fresno. As you are coming into the town of Shaver Lake, make a right turn onto Dinkey Creek Rd, where there will be a sign saying Wishon and Courtright Reserviors. Continue on Dinkey Creek Rd for around 15 miles, and as you are coming into Dinkey Creek, look for another sign saying Wishon and Courtright Reserviors. Make a right turn at this sign onto McKinley Grove Rd......very important! If you miss this right turn, you will drive past the ranger station and the Dinkey Creek store and end up at Dinkey Campground. After making the right turn onto McKinley Grove Rd, immediately crossing the Dinkey Creek bridge, go for about 1/4 mile and look for the Camp Fresno sign on the left. At this sign, there are two roads that go to the left, the first cuts back sharply and goes to Camp Fresno, the second is road 10S36. Turn left onto 10S36 and immediately turn right into the trees, which is our camping spot. We'll try to have someone monitoring CB channel 4 if you get close and have trouple finding us.
This is always a great trip, hope to see you there, and please be sure to post up if you are going so we can get a head count for the food.
We will be providing dinner on Friday evening and breakfast on Sunday morning. The cost is $20 per vehicle. If you have 4 or 5 in your rig and want to give us an extra $5 that would be fine. We will also have our traditional potluck dinner on Saturday evening, so come prepared. We'll eat whatever you bring. We need to know how many are coming so we can plan the food, so please post up if you'll be there and how many will be in your vehicle. If you'd like to pay in advance, that's fine with me, otherwise we'll collect at the beginning of the trip. You can send a check to me, Richard Gauthier, 420 Holtby Rd, Bakersfield CA, 93304, or PayPal it to me at [email protected]
Bring some firewood if you can, we can always use it. Since this is a popular camping destination on this trail, there isn't much wood around there.
The best place to gas up is in Prather, which is on Hwy 168 at the bottom of the big grade. It's possible to fill up in Clovis and run the whole trail and drive back to Clovis to fill up again, so fuel isn't real critical on this run. There is a Texaco station at the top of the big grade, but it closes early, like around 8:00 pm, so it's not good to count on it unless your early. There is gas at the Dinkey Creek store, but it's expensive, and best used only for emergencies. There are also showers at the store.
It's best to use block ice, which will easily last the 3 day weekend, then fill in with crushed. The Dinkey Creek store sells ice, so you can top off Friday morning if you need to.
Here are directions. Take Hwy 168 heading NE out of Fresno/Clovis, towards Shaver Lake and Huntington Lake. If you're coming from the south, exit Hwy 99 at Kingsburg and go north until you reach Hwy 168 (about 30 miles), then make a right. If you're coming from the north, exit Hwy 99 at Herndon, and drive all the way through town, then bear left onto Hwy 168. The new freeway through Fresno turns into Hwy 168, so you can take it off of either Hwy 99 from the north or Hwy 41 from the south, if you want.
So, heading NE on Hwy 168, follow the signs to Shaver Lake, which is roughly an hour drive from Fresno. As you are coming into the town of Shaver Lake, make a right turn onto Dinkey Creek Rd, where there will be a sign saying Wishon and Courtright Reserviors. Continue on Dinkey Creek Rd for around 15 miles, and as you are coming into Dinkey Creek, look for another sign saying Wishon and Courtright Reserviors. Make a right turn at this sign onto McKinley Grove Rd......very important! If you miss this right turn, you will drive past the ranger station and the Dinkey Creek store and end up at Dinkey Campground. After making the right turn onto McKinley Grove Rd, immediately crossing the Dinkey Creek bridge, go for about 1/4 mile and look for the Camp Fresno sign on the left. At this sign, there are two roads that go to the left, the first cuts back sharply and goes to Camp Fresno, the second is road 10S36. Turn left onto 10S36 and immediately turn right into the trees, which is our camping spot. We'll try to have someone monitoring CB channel 4 if you get close and have trouple finding us.
This is always a great trip, hope to see you there, and please be sure to post up if you are going so we can get a head count for the food.
